· September, 2008

Stories about Malaysia from September, 2008

Malaysia: Blogger's habeas corpus bid thwarted

  24 September 2008

Just on the day of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s habeas corpus, a detention order was issued for him to be held under s. 8(1) of the Internal Security Act (ISA). Malaysia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Syed Hamid Albar, was reported to have admitted to signing the detention order the night before the habeas corpus hearing.

Malaysia: YouTube rapper under investigation

23 September 2008

Wee Meng Chee, aka Namewee, was quizzed by the police on the matter of his rap song, which featured the Malaysian national anthem “Negaraku”, in the chorus. The song, entitled ‘Negarakuku’, had caused controversy last year, with Chinese lyrics purportedly touching on police abuses, corruption and racial discrimination, among others. Wee's...

Malaysia: Yet another blogger apprehended

  17 September 2008

Malaysian blogger Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, or kickdefella, was arrested today. From initial reports, it is not clear if he was arrested for inciting the public to fly the national flag upside-down or for an article he wrote. Other reports suggest that Syed Azidi is being investigated under Section 4 (1) of the...

Malaysia: Detention without trial for blogger RPK

  12 September 2008

Just as the MCMC unblocks “Malaysia Today”, Raja Petra Kamaruddin's controversial news portal, Malaysiakini reports that Raja Petra (or RPK) (pic below) has been arrested under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA). RPK’s wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, was reported to have said that he was arrested at 1310 on 12th September...

Malaysia: Good news, garnished with salt

12 September 2008

In light of the its aim to encourage the people to use the internet as a means of disseminating information, the Malaysian government has restored access to the Malaysia Today news portal, together with the other sites which have been blocked since January 2008. According to the Malaysian Communications and...

More storms a-brewing for RPK

  6 September 2008

A new legal wrangle might join the criminal defamation charges and defamation law suits sitting on the doorstep of Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK). Newspapers reported recently that the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) and other Muslim bodies had lodged a police report against him for allegedly insulting the Malays, Muslims and Islam. The...

Defamation & the Malaysian Blogger

  3 September 2008

Local newspapers report a little bump in Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's defamation proceedings against Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK), when the High Court today ordered Shafee to appoint a lawyer. RPK's lawyer, Manjeet Singh, had pointed out that Shafee may not represent himself in a case in which he has reason to...