The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has cut off access to a popular online newspaper because it claims it is breaking the law.
The site, that has often run afoul of authorities for its sensational political reporting, is run by Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, who has published numerous claims about alleged wrongdoing by government leaders. Kamarudin was charged with sedition in May for allegedly implying the deputy prime minister was involved in the killing of a young Mongolian woman. His trial begins in October.
Raja Petra told AP that "Blocking his site is a move by a desperate government that is trying to silence him." He said that "It was not going to stop him, it just revealed that the government does not know how to handle the Internet."
The crackdown on Malaysia Today drew criticism from bloggers and journalists who accused authorities of seeking to deter dissent.
The site, that has often run afoul of authorities for its sensational political reporting, is run by Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, who has published numerous claims about alleged wrongdoing by government leaders. Kamarudin was charged with sedition in May for allegedly implying the deputy prime minister was involved in the killing of a young Mongolian woman. His trial begins in October.
Raja Petra told AP that "Blocking his site is a move by a desperate government that is trying to silence him." He said that "It was not going to stop him, it just revealed that the government does not know how to handle the Internet."
The crackdown on Malaysia Today drew criticism from bloggers and journalists who accused authorities of seeking to deter dissent.
Even the print media has called the government's blocking of the site "myopic and ridiculous" and clashed with the government's promise not to censor the Internet.