FC: Malaysia's independent online news agency reportedly raided

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Here's my report from a 1996 trip to Malaysia:
http://www.eff.org/Publications/Declan_McCullagh/nn.malaysian.solution.120996.article

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Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 21:29:45 -0500
From: Christopher Wood <cwood () cwood dyn ca>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Malaysian online media outlet raided

Interesting stuff from over the other pond. URL's at the end, but here's 
the text of Malaysiakini's press release in case the server gets got at:

Malaysiakini: press freedom shot to pieces


10:45pm Mon Jan 20th, 2003

Jan 20, 2003

Press Statement

POLICE RAID ON MALAYSIAKINI OFFICE YET ANOTHER BLOW TO PRESS FREEDOM

Dang Wangi district police, reacting to a report lodged by Umno Youth last 
Friday, seized 15 CPUs (central processing units) and four servers worth 
RM150,000 for forensic examination from the malaysiakini office in Bangsar 
Utama this afternoon.

The move has effectively shut down malaysiakini editorial operations 
pending the return of the equipment. However, emergency measures are being 
taken to continue publication online within 24 hours.

The 10-member team led by Supt Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din, head of Bukit Amans 
computer crime unit, arrived unannounced at about 12.30pm. Several senior 
officers held a 90-minute discussion with malaysiakini Editor-in-Chief 
Steven Gan and Chief Executive Officer Premesh Chandran before moving into 
action.

The team took four hours to record details of the staff and the computers 
at the work stations, and to compile a list of items that were to be taken 
away.

They said they were investigating the Umno Youth report which alleged that 
a letter written by a malaysiakini reader contained false allegations. The 
letter was published on Jan 9.

Malaysiakini legal advisor R Sivarasa attempted to persuade the police team 
not to remove computers not essential to the investigation, saying that 
malaysiakini was prepared to give a written undertaking that nothing in the 
servers would be altered or any evidence erased.

Kamaruddin brushed off the offer and also refused permission for staff to 
make back-up copies of the material in the servers or to print out a list 
of the files. He also refused to give a commitment as to when the equipment 
would be returned.

At a press conference after the raid, Gan described the action as an excuse 
to shut down malaysiakini, saying the letter was not seditious but only a 
comparative study based on facts.

The governments pledge not to censor the Internet has been shot to pieces, 
he said.

This is a malicious attempt by the authorities to shut down the website as 
the police insisted on taking away computers which are totally unrelated to 
their investigation.

In its police report, Umno Youth claimed that the letter had questioned 
Malay privileges and contained false allegation that the government was 
unfair to other races.

The New Straits Times quoted Umno Youth information chief Azimi Daim as 
saying at a press conference last Friday that the letter also accused the 
government of neglecting Orang Asli interests.

In addition, Azimi said, the letter had equated Umno Youth with white 
supremacist group Ku Klux Klan of the US.

Azimi said malaysiakini should have censored the letter and urged the Home 
Ministry to act against media organisations that failed to do so.

He added that the movement had no plans to respond to the letter.

Malaysiakini, set up in 1999, is Malaysias only independent online news 
daily. Unlike the print and electronic media, it is free of licensing 
requirements because the government had pledged there would be no control 
of Internet content in line with the move to create the Multimedia Super 
Corridor, Malaysias answer to Silicon Valley.

For further information, contact:

Steven Gan: 012-2482 328

Editor-in-Chief

www.malaysiakini.com

(603) 2283 5567 (office hours)


The press release:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200301200018964.php

An article:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200301200018962.php

One in Bahasa Melayu:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200301200018965.php

The letter which apparently started it all:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200301090033726.php

More interesting links at the bottom of this one:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200301200033772.php

Enjoy.




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