Open letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia]

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Adam Peake <ajp () glocom ac jp>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 19:43:07 +0900
To: dave () farber net
Cc: sacha () forumasia org, alalegre () codewan com ph
Subject: Fwd: [communication 321] [Fwd: Open letter to the Prime Minister of
Malaysia]

Dave,

Good to see you this afternoon.

For IP: 2 items about Malaysian police seizure of computers from
online news site, Malaysiakini  <http://www.malaysiakini.com/> has
more (for the moment.)

Deeply disappointing . At last week's Asia and Pacific regional
preparatory meeting of the World Summit of the Information Society, a
representative from Malaysiakini delivered a short statement on
Communication Rights. Really isn't much point in holding the Summit
if we can't have some basic agreement on the right to communicate, to
access and disseminate information.  Those rights must be a
touchstone of our information society.

Thanks,

Adam

Adam Peake
GLOCOM Tokyo



> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 14:45:47 +0700
> From: Sacha Jotisalikorn <sacha () forumasia org>
> Subject: [communication 321] [Fwd: Open letter to the Prime Minister
> of Malaysia]
> To: communication () wsisasia org
>
> Dear mail group members,
>
> Some news from Malaysia re police raid on Malaysiakini news website
> (where our friend Arfa works):
>
>
> Dr. Seri Mahathir Mohammad
> Prime Minister of Malaysia
>
> 21 January 2003
>
> Re: Police raided Malaysiakini and seized all computers
>
> There is a universal respect in media freedom and freedom of
> expression as fundamental human rights and basic elements of
> democracy. On behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and
> Development (FORUM-ASIA), I write to you to express our concerns on
> the recent suppression of media freedom and freedom of expression in
> Malaysia.
>
> On 20 January 2003, police from the Kuala Lumpur Dang Wangi Distrcit
> Police Station and the Computer Crime Department of the Bukit Aman
> National Police Headquarters raided the office of Malaysiakini, a
> popular award winning internet news portal. The raid was made in
> connection with a complaint lodged by the youth wing of a ruling
> party, United Malay National Organization (UMNO) on a letter
> published by Malaysiakini, which is claimed by the UMNO youth to have
> seditious content. Despite being offered to show them the internet
> server which contained the alleged seditious letter, the police took
> away all 19 computers in Malaysiakini's office and refused to say
> when the computers will be returned. This raid will practically put
> Malaysiakini out of operation and allow the police to have full
> access to all confidential information of Malaysiakini, including
> their information sources. The police also took away the
> organizational chart of Malaysiakini.
>
> Although the police had power under the Sedition Act to seize
> materials in the pretext of preserving evidence, the raid yesterday
> was conducted in such a manner that openly intimidated the
> independent media. This incident constitutes a serious threat to
> human rights and democracy in Malaysia. The crack down on
> Malaysiakini sends a signal of an increasing state determination,
> through administrative and legislative measures, to further prohibit
> the expression of opinions different from those of the ruling UMNO.
>
> We join the calls of civil society movements in Malaysia to condemn
> strongly the raid on Malaysiakini by the police. We sincerely urge
> the Government of Malaysia to show greater tolerance to different
> opinions and stop the ongoing intimidations against the independent
> media. We demand the return of all the seized properties back to
> Malaysiakini.
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Somchai Homlaor
> Secretary General
>
>
> ****************************
> Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
> C/O Union for Civil Liberty
> 109 Suthisarnwinichai Road, Samsennok, Huaykwang
> Bangkok 10320, Thailand
> Tel.: 66 2 276 9846-7, 693 4940, 693 4938
> Fax.: 66 2 693 4939
> E-mail: info () forumasia org
> Web site : http://www.forumasia.org.
>
> ****************************

and

> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 16:01:20 +0800
> From: "Alan G. Alegre" <alalegre () codewan com ph>
> Subject: [communication 322] Fw: [asia-ir] Fw: FLASH: Malaysia alert
> (independent Internet daily's officesraided)
> To: communication () wsisasia org
>
>
> As a follow-up to Sacha's mail, i similarly recieved this earlier this
> afternoon from Toshi Ogura...
>
> (I was just about to email Arfa through this list, inquiring about her notes
> on the last WrapUP NGO meeting we had in Tokyo--she was supposed to send it
> to me so I could finalize it and report it out on this list...she may be
> very busy these days....)
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Toshimaru Ogura <ogr () nsknet or jp>
> To: <asia-ir () list jinbo net>; <Asia-social-movements () yahoogroups com>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 11:06 AM
> Subject: [asia-ir] Fw: FLASH: Malaysia alert (independent Internet daily's
> officesraided)
>
>
> >  Dear all, I forward an alert message from GILC.
> >
> >  regards,
> >
> >  toshi
> >  ((((((((((^0^)))))))))
> >  toshimaru ogura
> >  ogr () nsknet or jp
> >  toshi () jca apc org
> >  ((((((((((^0^)))))))))
> >
> >  Subject: [GILC-plan] FLASH: Malaysia alert (independent Internet daily's
> offices raided)
> >  From: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression <cjfe () cjfe org>
> >  To: cjfe () cjfe org
> >  Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 10:53:12 -0500
> >  Reply-To: cjfe () cjfe org
> >  X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0)
> >  Importance: Normal
> >
> >  IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
> >  _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >  ACTION ALERT - MALAYSIA
> >
> >  20 January 2003
> >
> >  Independent Internet daily's offices raided
> >
> >  SOURCE: Thai Journalists Association (TJA), Bangkok
> >
> >  **For information on previous harassment of Malaysiakini, see IFEX alerts
> of
> >  6 March and 10 January 2001**
> >
> >  (TJA/IFEX) - The following is a 19 January 2003 letter to Malaysian Prime
> >  Minister Mahathir Mohamad by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA),
> of
> >  which TJA is a member:
> >
> >  January 19, 2002
> >
> >  H.E. Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad
> >  Pejabat Perdana Menteri Blok A
> >  Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan Putrajaya 62502
> >  Putrajaya  Malaysia.
> >  Phone: 603 8888 8000
> >  Fax: 603 8888 3444
> >  email: ppm () smpke jpm my
>  >
>  > Dear Excellency,
>  >
>  > The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Bangkok-based regional
> press
>  > advocacy group, condemns the police raid on the office of Malaysiakini,
>  > Malaysia's independent Internet daily, on 19 January 2003.
> >  The noon raid was a grave violation of press freedom. It was totally
> >  unjustified and should be viewed as nothing but a crude attempt to muzzle
> >  Malaysiakini, which for the past three years has been a major source of
> >  unsanctioned news and information about Malaysia.
> >
> >  We have learned that more than ten police officers, two uniformed from
> Dang
>  > Wangi, raided the office and took away all 19 computers, which the police
>  > believe contain confidential information, including the addresses of
> letter
>  > writers who had requested confidentiality. No staff was taken into police
> >  custody but Malaysiakini staff members are worried that they will be
> >  interrogated and charged. They could expect the worse if the Internet
> >  daily's operation has to be suspended during the investigation period.
> >
> >  The raid is believed to be linked to the Internet daily's report on
> January
> >  9, which published a letter from an anonymous reader who was criticizing
> >  Malay rights and likening the youth wing of one of the ruling party's
> >  coalition parties to the white-supremacist Ku Klux Klan in America, "which
> >  was ready to kill other races".
> >
> >  The youth wing group later filed a complaint with police, saying the
> report
> >  was seditious and that the letter, entitled "Similarities between 'new
> >  Americans' and bumiputera (indigenous people)" contained false accusations
> >  and questioned special rights for Malays, thus possibly instilling hatred
> >  for the government.
> >
> >  SEAPA believes that the raid was unwarranted. Citizens in truly democratic
> >  states should be allowed to comment freely on politics and political
> >  parties. Indeed, the raid is nothing more than the latest in a series of
> >  attempts by Malaysian authorities to curtail free speech and to discourage
> >  Malaysiakini from reporting the facts and provide alternative opinion and
>  > information on Malaysian affairs.
>  >
> >  Earlier, Malaysian officials had threatened to amend the Communication Act
> >  to allow authorities to censor Internet content. In the past, they had
> also
> >  banned Malaysiakini reporters from covering government news conferences.
> >
> >  SEAPA urges Malaysian authorities to apologize for the raid, return the
> >  computers and withhold any legal sanctions against Malaysiakini. Unless
> they
> >  do so, the country's international reputation would be gravely tarnished.
> >
> >  Respectfully,
> >
> >  Kavi Chongkittavorn
> >  Chair
> >
> >  RECOMMENDED ACTION:
> >
> >  Similar appeals can be sent to:
> >
> >  H.E. Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad
> >  Pejabat Perdana Menteri Blok A
> >  Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan Putrajaya 62502
> >  Putrajaya, Malaysia
> >  Tel: +603 8888 8000
> >  Fax: +603 8888 3444
> >  E-mail: ppm () smpke jpm my
> >
> >  Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
> >
> >  For further information, contact the Thai Journalists Association, 538/1
> >  Samsen Rd., Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand, tel: +66 2 668 9422, fax: +66
> 2
> >  668 7505, e-mail: reporter () inet co th, Internet: http://www.tja.or.th, or
> >  SEAPA, 538/1 Sam-Sen Rd. Dusit Bangkok, Thailand 10300, Tel/Fax: +66 2 243
> >  5579, e-mail: seapa () seapabkk org, Internet: http://www.seapabkk.org
> >
> >  The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility
> of
> >  TJA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
> >  TJA.
> >  _________________________________________________________________
> >  DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
> >  EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
> >  489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
> >  tel: +1 416 515 9622    fax: +1 416 515 7879
> >  alerts e-mail: alerts () ifex org    general e-mail: ifex () ifex org
> >  Internet site: http://www.ifex.org
> >  _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >  _______________________________________________
> >  GILC-plan mailing list
> >  GILC-plan () mailman gilc org
> >  https://mailman.gilc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gilc-plan
> >
> >        Asia Internet Rights Conference http://asia-ir.jinbo.net
> >  --------------------------------------------------------------------
> >      [Korean Progressive Network 'Jinbonet'] http://www.jinbo.net
> >  --------------------------------------------------------------------


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