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.