Malaysian Blogger Arrested
Raja Petra Kamarudin, a popular blogger-activist in Malaysia, was arrested by government officials Friday afternoon. The government accuses Kamarudin, who runs one of the country’s most popular bloggers Malaysia Today, ‘of spreading malicious falsehoods through his blog.’
He is one of Malaysia’s main bloggers critical of the government coalition which has been in power for the last half-century.
![The government has accused Raja Petra of using his blog to attack senior officials [EPA]](http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images//2008/8/14/200881472414282784_5.jpg)
The arrest comes shortly after the government ‘ordered the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the government’s industry regulator, to re¬instate access’ to Malaysia Today; a move that probably filled Kamarudin with hope.
He was detained under the International Security Act; this act is a colonial-era security law ‘that allows for indefinite detention without trial.’
Kamarudin is a forceful opponent of the government coalition, and an outspoken supporter of the opposition. This opposition is led by Anwar Ibrahim, who says he is almost ready to take power away from the ruling class. Several members of Parliament, he says, have joined his movement.
The government, afraid of losing power, has launched a major campaign aimed at cracking down dissent. Members of the opposition and simply vocal critics have been arrested. This while the mood in the country is shifting towards support for the opposition; it seems likely that Malaysia’s rulers are making it harder rather than easier on themselves.
Readers of Malaysia Today voiced their opposition to Kamarudin’s arrest in the comment sections of the site. These comments reinforce the notion that Malaysia’s government is only hurting itself by arresting those who merely exercise their right to voice to their opinion.
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