Published: April 3,2009
Kuala Lumpur, Apr 3 (AP) A Malaysian court has ordered a prominent online commentator to pay more than USD 277,000 to a senior ruling party politician, a court official said today, the latest in a series of troubles for bloggers.Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, editor of the popular Malaysia Today news Web site, was told yesterday to pay USD 277,840 in libel damages to Abdul Azim Mohamad Zabidi, treasurer of the ruling United Malays National Organisation, said a court official who declined to be named because she was not authorised to speak to the media.
Details of Raja Petra&aposs commentary about Abdul Azim were not immediately known. However, Raja Petra, one of the country&aposs best-known online writers, frequently accuses senior government officials and corporate figures of corruption and other crimes.
He has also claimed that Prime Minister Najib Razak, who took office today, and his wife were linked to the 2006 slaying of a Mongolian woman. The couple has denied the accusations, dismissing them as"lies."
Critical online commentary has mushroomed in the country as an alternative to the country&aposs government-linked mainstream. But recently bloggers have increasingly faced detention and court action by government officials. They accuse the bloggers of spreading false information and rumours.
Source: PTI