4 theSun | THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12 2009

news without borders

Suara Keadilan, Harakah

seized by Home Ministry
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has the weekly circulation for the paper was
been confiscating the publications of PKR 150,000 copies and about 20,000 copies
‘Be proactive to the
marginalised’
and PAS (Suara Keadlian and Harakah were confiscated in three weeks.
respectively) in the past three weeks for “Such actions by the ministry will
violating printing regulations. sever our relationship with the vendors Too low
Home Ministry publication and Qu- who will probably stop selling our papers interest
ranic texts control division secretary Che to avoid any unnecessary legal conse-
Din Yusof said the publishers had violated quences. rates not
the Printing Presses and Publications “PKR will offer legal assistance to all construc-
Act by selling the papers to non-party vendors if they are charged in court with tive: Zeti
members. selling the newspapers,” she added. by Giam Say Khoon acres to the Orang
“We will continue with the enforce- Chua lamented that it was unfair to pg 17 newsdesk@thesundaily.com Asli in Bidor;
ment as long as the violation continue,” political newspapers because there was » A special task
he said. Che Din also warned that the no way to determine whether the buyers PETALING JAYA: The Bar force on Orang
same action would be taken against were members or not as PR had about Council has called on state Asli’s land
any political newspaper if it violated the one million members now. governments to be pro-ac- rights was set
regulations and laws stipulated in issu- PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz tive in relation to issues that up to formally
ance of permits. Omar also confirmed the confiscation concern the Orang Asli, the recognise all
PKR information chief Tian Chua said began three days ago after the party’s marginalised and the under- Orang Asli
the party learnt about the “enforcement” newspaper reported extensively on the privileged just like what the
operations from newspaper vendors Perak government crisis. customary
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state land in the
about three weeks ago during the Kuala He said although he had no idea how government did in Perak in
Terengganu by-election. many copies of the papers were confis- state;
“We condemn the action despite cated, the reason given by the authori-
its 10-month administration.
Council president Datuk
» The admin-
repeated assurances by the minister ties was unacceptable as the paper has istration com-
(Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar) that he been, all the while, sold openly. Ambiga Sreenevesan (pix) missioned a
will be liberal and that we will not be The newspapers are reported to said it was also necessary special Orang
harassed by the ministry. be confiscated in Kedah, Johor, Kuala to remember that under Asli officer for
“We will write to ask the minister Lumpur, Selangor and Sarawak. (former menteri besar) the state to act “We hope that the same
to explain why such action was taken Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar importance will be given to
to resolve all problems faced
against us in the coming parlia- Jamaluddin’s administration these matters and that they
ment session by the state’s Orang Asli;
in Perak, many significant
(which starts steps forward were taken on
» Public consultations with will continue to progress
on Feb 16),” the people and non-govern- without delay,” she added.
issues that affect the natives Ambiga also said the
ment organisations on de-
he told a press
conference in Lecture by Ungku Aziz and other underprivileged
and marginalised groups. velopment of activities were shocking display of vit-
Suara Keadi- held; and riol against Nizar by certain
PETALING JAYA: Royal Professor “The Quest For Success” from 2pm She said in a statement
lan’s office here
Ungku Abdul Aziz is speaking in a to 5pm. that the issues that saw » Both Malay and Chinese groups claiming to advance
yesterday. residents in new villages and patriotism in the state is a
Suara Keadi- Merdeka Award Lecture Series in The lecture is organised by quick resolution in the last 10
Kampung Tersusun are now disconcerting trend.
lan’s assistant the KL Convention Centre today. Petronas and Universiti Teknologi months in Perak include:
“We cannot, on the one
distribution Ungku Aziz, recipient of the 2008 Petronas. Admission is by invitation » Nizar had cancelled all log- being granted permanent
hand, claim to be a modern
manager, Ma- Merdeka Award for Education and only. For more information, visit ging and plantation activities land titles in stages.
rina Awanti, said Community Category, will speak on www.merdekaaward.com Ambiga said the council democracy that respects
in the Orang Asli settlements
around Gopeng; must put these events on dissenting views and, on the
» State executive councillor record as it had worked for other, ask for archaic modes
A. Sivanesan had announced years on some of the issues of punishment like chasing
the return of about 400 acres and was glad to see positive someone out of the state for
of ancestral land to the Orang results achieved in a short holding these views,” she
Asli in Gopeng and about 500 span of time. said.