Mahathir defends policy on 'Asiaweek'

Mahathir defends policy on 'Asiaweek'

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad yesterday defended his government's decision to cancel its subscription to the Hong Kong-based magazine Asiaweek, saying the publication was "not informative."

"What we buy, of course, is our right," Mahathir said, commenting on a home ministry order to all state agencies to stop subscribing to Asiaweek after the magazine printed critical articles on the country's leadership.

"We are not banning it but we feel it is not informative, so we don't buy, " he told reporters, adding: "That's all." Last month, Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat had said the government might punish Asiaweek for alleged inaccurate reporting on Malaysia.

Mohamed said the government was considering options, "including curtailing its circulation," as it had done previously with the Far Eastern Economic Review.