forwarded from: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200301170018930.php

Umno Youth lodges report against malaysiakini

YS Tong
12:35pm Fri Jan 17th, 2003

Umno Youth today lodged a police report against popular online daily
malaysiakini over a letter which was published on the website on Jan 9.

The movement’s information chief Azimi Daim ( photo ) filed the
complaint at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 11.15am,
accompanied by several Umno Youth supporters.

According to the report, the letter titled ‘ Similarities between “new
Americans” and bumiputera ’ contained seditious remarks that could
create chaos in the country.

Azimi told a press conference later that the letter, by making false
accusations as well as questioning the Malay special rights, could
instill hatred towards the government in non-Malay Malaysians.

“The letter falsely accused the government of ignoring the benefits of
orang asli (indigenous people) and said allowances and medical care are
only given to those who become Muslims.

“It also implied that Malays are the cause of poverty among Indians as
Malay businessmen were said to have bought plantations for project
development,” he said.

Azimi said Malay special rights have been provided for under Article
153 of the Federal Constitution and should not be questioned.

He said the letter was also malicious for having likened Umno Youth to
the Ku Klux Klan in America “which was ready to kill other races”.

Censor offensive materials

Azimi urged the Home Affairs Ministry to monitor closely content on the
Internet and take action against malaysiakini or any other website that
publishes materials which are detrimental to national interests.

He also hoped that news websites and media organisations will be more
responsible when disseminating information.

“If they fail to censor offensive materials which are unfit for
publication, the authorities should then investigate and act on them,”
he said.

Malaysiakini editor Steven Gan ( photo ) said that the online daily’s
policy with regard to the letters forum is to encourage free and open
discussion on controversial issues.

“But that does not mean we publish letters without due care. We
exercise a strict selective process in which letters that are
considered personal attacks or those which could possibly breach
existing laws are left out,” he said.

“We believe that the said letter did not carry any seditious remarks
that could incite racial violence, but was based on a factual
comparative study.”

Today’s police report is the third made against malaysiakini since its
launch three years ago.

In March 2001, Selangor police lodged a report against the news website
for quoting the opposition that the death toll from the Petaling Jaya
Selatan racial clashes could be higher than the official count of six.

In July the same year, a university student leader filed a report
claiming that a letter published on malaysiakini bearing his name was
not written by him.

On Monday, January 20, 2003, at 02:52 PM, Joe Kidd wrote:

>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: Sonia Randhawa <soniarandhawa@...>
>> Date: Mon Jan 20, 2003 1:26:25 PM Asia/Bangkok
>> To: free_foods@yahoogroups.com
>> Subject: [fOOd nOt bOmb$] Mkini raid
>> Reply-To: free_foods@yahoogroups.com
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Malaysiakini is currently being raided by the police,
>> who it seems are likely to take away all the
>> computers, thus shutting the entire operations down.
>> There are at least seven police officers here.
>>
>> The officers are from Dang Wangi, so perhaps people
>> could call the station - 03 2691 2222 - and ask the
>> reason behind the raid, lodge their protest etc, if
>> they are interested in doing so!
>>
>> Sonia