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Malaysia moves to post-election crackdown
Sydney Morning Herald - May 8, 2013
Two men who posted Tweets have been arrested and bloggers are being targeted in police investigations as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim vowed to lead a "fierce movement" to reform the country's legal system.
Social media sites played a key role in Mr Anwar's three party alliance gaining more than 50 percent of the popular vote on Sunday in the government's worst electoral performance since the country gained independence from Britain in 1957.
Malaysia's government-owned or controlled newspapers, television and radio refused to give anything but unfavourable coverage to opposition parties in the months before the election.
The government was returned to power with a 22-seat majority because of an electoral system to favours rural seats where majority Malay Muslims dominate.
Malaysian police have also declared illegal a rally planned by the opposition to protest election results that Ibrahim says were "stolen" through massive fraud.
"Marching without a permit, aimed at arousing anger, is wrong according to the law," national police chief Ismail Omar said, according to state news agency Bernama. Mr Ismail added that participants of the Wednesday night rally would be arrested, Bernama said.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Syed Ismail Azizan told reporters a blogger called King Jason was arrested for Tweeting a claim that phantom voters brought into hotly contested seats were protected by police. Another Tweeter called Papa Gomo has also been arrested.
"We will continue monitoring social media and we will not rest until those who circulate racial postings online are detained," Mr Syed Ismail said. "Anyone who tries to instil hate and compromise public safety will face the music," he said.
Mr Syed Ismail said many postings on social media networks were under investigation.
"What they are trying to do is to disrupt the peace in this country," he said. "Often this information shared on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and text messages were nothing but hearsay or simply untrue."
Mr Anwar said a protest rally on Kuala Lumpur's outskirts on Wednesday night would be the first action in a "movement to clean this country from election malpractices and fraud."
He said the opposition has evidence to challenge the election result in up to 29 seats, enough to call the election result into question.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has dismissed the allegations of fraud and called on the opposition to accept the result. (with AFP)
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