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Here's my report from a 1996 trip to Malaysia: http://www.eff.org/Publications/Declan_McCullagh/nn.malaysian.solution.120996.article --- 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q=declan -------------------------------------------------------------------------