Stories about Malaysia
Malaysian government told to stop playing ‘Big Brother’ to media
"What is more worrying is the fact that much of the so-called 'offending' content is mere reports and opinion pieces deemed critical of the government."
A new platform monitoring press freedom in Southeast Asia
Seven Southeast Asian media organizations have launched pfmsea.org, a joint platform to monitor press freedom across the region.
How the onstage stunt of British band The 1975 caused more harm than good in Malaysia
Matty Healy, the vocalist of the British band, The 1975, opened their performance in Malaysia by ranting against the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws in a profanity-laden speech and kissing his bandmate onstage.
Underscoring the challenges of promoting digital rights in Southeast Asia
"…information disorders have been weaponized for political gain, while oppressive governments have tried to control the internet, particularly through social media, and crackdown on dissidents using digital surveillance as tactic."
Malaysian writer faces blasphemy probe for Facebook post
"Uthaya Sankar SB’s arrest for his social media post highlights the limits of free expression in Malaysia on issues such as religion."
Malaysians worry over reported plan to sell contact tracing app to a private firm
"Everyone was so worried about contact tracing when we should have been worried about CONTRACT tracing."
Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza faces police probe and two charges for satirical posters
"Gov leaders must learn to take public criticism and dissent in stride and stop going after critics like #FahmiReza for poking fun at them."
Twitter ignores Malaysian government's request to censor Tweets about flood response
Tweets that criticized the Malaysian government's flooding response were flagged for deletion yet Twitter informed its users about the request, and decided to leave them uncensored.
Malaysian artists and activists face probe over a short film depicting police brutality
"These ongoing harassments against activists, journalists, and artists attempt to silence our voice and deflect the public pressure on the prevalent cases of custodial death in the past few months."
Two Malaysian artists face police probe for online commentary and artwork
"The persecution of artists such as Zunar and Fahmi stifles creative expression, chills public discourse, and undermines trust in Malaysian authorities."
Malaysia’s ‘fake news’ ordinance takes effect amid continuing concern over the COVID-19 state of emergency
"This ordinance strengthens the perception that the state of emergency we are currently in is a smokescreen to curb any form of criticism towards the government of the day."
Malaysian students face sedition probe over Facebook post urging the king not to interfere in politics
"Academic scholarship and promotion of human rights cannot flourish in an atmosphere of censorship and disproportionate restriction of speech and expression."
Human rights defenders and journalists under attack in Southeast Asia
The past two weeks saw several disturbing cases of arrests, convictions, and raids targeting human rights activists and journalists in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Al Jazeera, Malaysiakini, and Code Blue news websites probed for critical reporting in Malaysia
"The government...should be working to earn the confidence and trust of voters, particularly given how it came to power this March."
Malaysia’s new government probes journalists, critics despite free speech pledge
Civic groups argue that the Communications and Multimedia Act is being wielded as a weapon against free speech.
Fighting the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’ in the Asia-Pacific
EngageMedia lists some of the media initiatives addressing the COVID-19 "Infodemic' across the Asia-Pacific region
Malaysia orders ‘stern action’ against media misreporting government statements on COVID-19
"Resorting to censorship, especially in its extreme form, in a time of crisis reflects the insecurity of the government of the day."
Malaysian journalist targeted by hate speech and racist attacks on Facebook
"Timely action by Facebook and other social media platforms is crucial in curbing online attacks, which commonly include trolling and doxing."
Controversy in Malaysia: Do Facebook posts about the coronavirus amount to ‘circulating rumors’?
"...while I agree some restrictions are necessary in times of crisis, dragging someone under the Penal Code is unjustified. Restrictions need not be through punitive measures in this case."
What will it take to combat digital authoritarianism in Southeast Asia?
"Applied to the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, digital authoritarianism refers to how the internet has been weaponized in aid of existing authoritarian regimes."