National news agency Bernama has been told in no uncertain terms that it had no prerogative to direct the local media last week not to report on a bird flu outbreak in Kelantan.

The Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily quoted Deputy Information Minister Donald Lim Siang Chai as saying that the ministry is investigating the matter, and that it would be raised during the weekly cabinet meeting today.

The agency would also be required to submit a report on the matter.

Lim reportedly said Bernama, as a state-owned news agency, could report on "sensitive issues such as bird flu and Japanese encephalitis" only if it received a cabinet directive to do so.

"Bernama represents the government in reporting news on national policy, but it cannot restrict the press from reporting on certain issues.

"(But) I believe this was just a misunderstanding and should not be made an issue," he said in the report published today.

When contacted by malaysiakini last week, Bernama editor-in-chief Azman Ujang had refused to clarify why it had sent out an 'urgent note to editors'.

It contained a directive purportedly from the Prime Minister's Department, informing editors not to publish any reports on a bird flu case detected in Kelantan.

Responding to malaysiakini's questions the next day, however, the department denied having issued a directive "to this effect".