Blogger Arrested

By: Robert Andrews
Online Journalism News

A blogger was arrested by police in Malaysia and faces criminal proceedings for violating the country's official secrets act after posting a link from his website.

Nathaniel Tan, 26, a web editor for Malaysia's opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat party, was detained in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Initial reports said he was arrested on suspicion that a photomontage posted to his blog - depicting the deputy prime minister dining with a political adviser allegedly involved in a murder case - was a violation of the country's Communication and Multimedia Act.

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South East Asian Press Aliance (SEAPA) reported: "Interestingly, on the same day Tan was remanded, national news agency Bernama reported that Johari had tasked the police to track down writers who 'spread lies through websites' - specifically those who direct criticisms against government leaders."

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Does this or does this not cause chills up your spine? Posting a link on your blog can lead to your arrest! If the the link leads to "official secrets" how then is it possible for the "secret" to be accessible by the public?

This whole arrest, and the tracking of bloggers who 'spread lies through websites' smack of intimidation, revenge, and censorship on the part of the government.

There are bigger problems facing Malaysia. Rather then be worried about what is being written about individual elected representatives, the government needs to deal with the corruption that is on the rise especially among the higher ups of government, the rising cost of living, the declining inter-religious tolerance, and many more social issues facing the country.

Viva the internet! Bloggers continue to write on the issues that you care about!