Suaram slams MCMC for arbitrary blocking of TMI

28-Feb-2016, 16:09

28 Feb 2016, 16:09

Human rights group says affected parties, not government, should take action if TMI claims are false.

PETALING JAYA:

The human rights group Suaram has criticised Malaysia’s Internet regulator for taking arbitrary action to block access to The Malaysian Insider after it reported allegations of criminal wrongdoing by the prime minister.

Suaram said web sites should only be blocked after thorough investigation but the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s swift action implied that no investigations were conducted and it had made an arbitrary decision.

The MCMC asked Internet providers to block access a day after TMI published its report, which quoted an anonymous source.

Suaram called for the block to be lifted and police investigation under the Penal Code to be stopped.

The group said editors and officers of news or media groups should not be subjected to investigation under security laws, and the police action under Section 124 (I) of the Penal Code amounted to intimidation and a threat of detention without trial.

Suaram said any action against the Malaysian Insider should only be taken by aggrieved parties if the web site had made false allegations, and not by the Federal Government.

Five editors of the web site were called to the federal police headquarters last week to have their statements recorded regarding the article.

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Suaram slams MCMC for arbitrary blocking of TMI