Asiaweek delayed a week, Review still under review
Ajinder KaurPublished: Jun 15, 2001 4:09 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
After almost a month of being kept in the dark, foreign weekly magazine Asiaweek has yet to receive a reply from the Home Ministry on what's causing the delay in the distribution of the magazine locally.
Asiaweek managing editor Zoher Abdool Carim, when contacted in his office in Hong Kong today, said that a letter was sent to the ministry on March 7 asking for the reason.
"We have not received any reply and really don't know what is going on," he said.
Ministry officials have been delaying the distribution of the last five issues of Asiaweek and another Hong Kong-based weekly the Far Eastern Economic Review by up to three weeks.
The March 15 and 22 issues for the Review and the March 16 and 23 issues for Asiaweek were only released today.
The March 29 issue of the Review and the March 30 issue of Asiaweek, which should have hit the news stands earlier this week, have also not been approved yet.
The magazines usually hit the streets six days before the cover date. The release letters for the sale of the foreign publications are usually given at the beginning of each week after a few copies are submitted for vetting at the end of the week before.
Information Minister Khalil Yaakob told reporters last week that there was "no reason" for the delay in the release letters for the sale both magazines. He said that it was very normal for delays to happen ([#1]'No reason' for Review, Asiaweek delay[/#], March 22).
His statement however, differs with that of Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin, who had a day earlier said the delay was "most probably" due to negative reports on Malaysia ([#2]Magazines' woes could be linked to negative reports[/#], March 21).
Zainal said that the Home Ministry has a special committee to vet all publications and should it find any infringements of government regulations, the publications concerned would be advised about them.
PM irked
Asiaweek first raised Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's ire when it published an unflattering photo of him in its Jan 26 issue, which he said attempted to portray him as an "idiot".
Then its March 2 issue featured two articles on Malaysia; one contained an allegation that the Moro fighters in the Philippines are supported by the Malaysian government while the other cited Mahathir and Putrajaya as an example of how some rulers try to perpetuate their legacies by constructing monumental buildings and cities.
Asiaweek managing editor Zoher Abdool Carim, when contacted in his office in Hong Kong today, said that a letter was sent to the ministry on March 7 asking for the reason.
"We have not received any reply and really don't know what is going on," he said.
Ministry officials have been delaying the distribution of the last five issues of Asiaweek and another Hong Kong-based weekly the Far Eastern Economic Review by up to three weeks.
The March 15 and 22 issues for the Review and the March 16 and 23 issues for Asiaweek were only released today.
The March 29 issue of the Review and the March 30 issue of Asiaweek, which should have hit the news stands earlier this week, have also not been approved yet.
The magazines usually hit the streets six days before the cover date. The release letters for the sale of the foreign publications are usually given at the beginning of each week after a few copies are submitted for vetting at the end of the week before.
Information Minister Khalil Yaakob told reporters last week that there was "no reason" for the delay in the release letters for the sale both magazines. He said that it was very normal for delays to happen ([#1]'No reason' for Review, Asiaweek delay[/#], March 22).
His statement however, differs with that of Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin, who had a day earlier said the delay was "most probably" due to negative reports on Malaysia ([#2]Magazines' woes could be linked to negative reports[/#], March 21).
Zainal said that the Home Ministry has a special committee to vet all publications and should it find any infringements of government regulations, the publications concerned would be advised about them.
PM irked
Asiaweek first raised Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's ire when it published an unflattering photo of him in its Jan 26 issue, which he said attempted to portray him as an "idiot".
Then its March 2 issue featured two articles on Malaysia; one contained an allegation that the Moro fighters in the Philippines are supported by the Malaysian government while the other cited Mahathir and Putrajaya as an example of how some rulers try to perpetuate their legacies by constructing monumental buildings and cities.
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