The government's reassurance that there would be no censorship of the Internet was welcomed by Internet users.

Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Leo Moggie reiterated on Monday that the government did not intend to control the Internet, but it would act against activities that are against the law. The government had early this week monitored and taken action against 40 cybercafes for indulging in cyber-gambling.

Ahmad Jamali Sepihie, manager of a company with Multimedia Super Corridor status, said that Malaysia's cyber laws guarantee that contents on the Internet would not be controlled.

"However, the law allows restriction on the abuse of the Internet by cybercafes," he told malaysiakini, referring to the government's recent push against cyber-gambling activities.

"The action taken against gambling activities in cybercafes is not about censorship. If the government seeks to control the contents on the Internet, then it is exerting a form of censorship," he said, adding that he supported the government's crackdown on illegal cyber-gambling activities .

Singapore's Straits Times quoted Leo Moggie on Monday that the government believed Internet abuse in one form or other would occur, regardless of regulations.

"The Internet is such a vast network that no matter what regulations we put in place, people will find a way to abuse it. We have said we will not censor the Internet and the policy remains," he said.

The article named online newspaper malaysiakini.com as one entity that appeared to have gained from the government's stand.

The minister also said that the suggestion to register those who visited cybercafes had been dropped because the government wanted to promote the use of the Internet. He added that the stand is in line with the MSC project, which attempts to woo foreign investors to the country.

KeADILan spokesperson Raja Petra Kamaruddin also welcomed the government's decision. But he was apprehensive that the government may not abide to its decision.

He cited the case of the party's vice president Chandra Muzaffar, who was asked to show cause for contempt of court last year, as a form of restriction of speech freedom, although it wasn't quite considered as Internet censorship.

Chandra was asked to show cause by a court for distributing an article on the Internet which reportedly alleged that the media, judiciary and government leaders were working together in persecuting sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. The court eventually set aside the show cause order due to a technicality because it cannot proved that Chandra was the writer of the said article.

Raja Petra also questioned the government's action against four Internet users who reportedly spread rumours of racial riots in Chow Kit. "The government should not control the personal communication of Internet users such as e-mails and messages posted on discussion groups," he said.

"In addition, the government had drawn up a list of 40 to 50 websites considered to be anti-establishment and it has a panel of lawyers to take action against the writers and webmasters of these websites," Raja Petra said.

Raja Petra has a personal website at [#1]members.xoom.com/rpetra/[/#] He also updates a number of official websites, including that of the party, [#2]www.keadilan.org[/#]

Malaysia has 900,000 Internet subscribers with an estimated four million users.

[Versi BM][#3] Langkah kerajaan dialu-alukan[/#]