Malaysiakini.com Raided by Police

Andrew Stroehlein on online press freedom
Police raided the offices of Malaysian news website Malaysiakini.com yesterday (January 20), seizing 19 computers and resulting in the site being temporarily shut down. Police were seeking the name of an anonymous letter writer who had posted a comment on the site comparing the ruling United Malays National Organization (UNMO), the party of both the prime minister and president, to the Ku Klux Klan. Malaysiakini.com editor Steve Gan refused to reveal the name, citing journalistic principles. Gan said the move meant that the government’s idea of press freedom on the Internet had been “shot to pieces.” Reporters Without Borders was quick to criticize the police raid, calling on home affairs minister (and deputy prime minister) Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi to return the equipment immediately and to drop all charges against Gan, now facing charges of sedition.