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Extracted from
Malaysiakini
Legal lion
offers to defend website
Apr
20,
Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s legal ultimatum to malaysiakini has drawn a roar of
protest from DAP.
The opposition party also revealed that its lawyers, including
'legal lion' and national chairperson Karpal Singh, have offered their
services.
In a statement today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng explained
that the party was committed to defending press freedom.
“I spoke to DAP lawyers, including national chair and renowned legal lion
Karpal, who have agreed with the commitment to offer our legal services to malaysiakini to fight this lawsuit.
“Public interest requires that this mother of all court battles must be won to
preserve what is left of freedom of information for
Is
he suing
In a legal letter delivered yesterday, Taib demanded
the removal of several articles from malaysiakini
which contained allegations of corruption against him.
He identified eight articles, which he deemed as being defamatory,
and told malaysiakini to
remove them within 48 hours and apologise or face legal action.
The articles - published between April 6 and 14 - alleged that Taib has been
implicated in a scandal involving RM32 million in kickbacks paid by Japanese
shipping companies for timber from the resource-rich state.
The articles were follow ups to a Japan
Times news report on March 29.
However, malaysiakini
editor-in-chief Steven Gan said the news website will not be intimidated by
this and is determined to fight the law suit.
Meanwhile, Lim asked if the chief minister plans to also sue Japan Times over its report?
“Taib should not pick on malaysiakini
by threatening legal action but take on Japan
Times, when the newspaper is the original source of the story of
alleged corruption against him.
“For Taib not to sue Japan Times
but only malaysiakini would
be puzzling when malaysiakini
was only reporting the original story by Japan
Times,” he said.