Malaysia plans curbs on 'Asiaweek'

Malaysia plans curbs on 'Asiaweek'

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): The Malaysian government was considering actions to punish the Hong Kong-based Asiaweek for alleged inaccurate reporting of the country, Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat was quoted yesterday as saying.

"We are considering various actions including curtailing its circulation, (as) we have done before against the Far Eastern Economic Review," Mohamed was quoted by the Star English language daily as saying.

"We feel this is the best punishment as these magazines are obviously writing these sensational reports for the sake of publicity and to boost circulation," Mohamed told the Star in Singapore, after attending a meeting of ASEAN information ministers Thursday.

This is the second time in five months that Asiaweek is in apparent trouble with the Malaysian government, which had in November threatened to ban the magazine after it reported a rift was growing between Malaysia's top two leaders.