The police today officially closed its two-year investigation into online news website malaysiakini for the publication of a 'seditious' letter.

The letter to the editor entitled 'Similarities between 'new Americans' and bumiputera', which was written by a malaysiakini reader who used the pseudonym Petrof, was investigated under the Sedition Act.

"However, after having completed the investigation, the police do not intend to charge any party and the case is closed," said investigation officer ASP Alzafny Ahmad in a letter to malaysiakini dated yesterday.

Alzafny, who is from the Dang Wangi police district in Kuala Lumpur, handed over the two remaining computers which had been held by the authorities to facilitate their investigations.

The computers were turned over this morning to malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan after both parties signed the necessary transfer documents.

No reasons given

According to Alzafny (photo), he was instructed by the Attorney-General's Chambers to close the case and return the computers to malaysiakini.

"No reasons were given," he said.

Nevertheless, in Alzafny's letter to malaysiakini, the police advised the organisation to be more careful in the future.

"You have to be sensitive on issues you want to publish so that they do not raise racial sentiments which could jeopardise the peace of the nation," it said.

On Jan 20, 2003, a team of 10 police officers raided the malaysiakini office in Kuala Lumpur's Bangsar Utama and seized 19 computers following a report lodged by Umno Youth.

Umno Youth had claimed that the Jan 9, 2003 letter was seditious and could cause racial tension. The letter had equated the youth movement with the white supremacist group Klu Klux Klan of the United States and questioned the special rights accorded to the Malay Malaysians.

Who is Petrof?

The police had wanted to know the identity of Petrof so that action could be taken against the letter writer.

However, malaysiakini refused to divulge Petrof's e-mail address, resulting in the police confiscating the computers.

Seventeen of the computers were released in the weeks that followed but two servers were kept by the police.

Malaysiakini's refusal to reveal Petrof's identity stemmed from the undertaking given to its readers that the website would protect them should they decide to remain anonymous.

The assurance was to encourage open debate among Malaysians on burning issues without fear.

Gan welcomed the news that the police had finally closed the Petrof case.

"We believe that the letter was not seditious. Obviously, the police have failed to find evidence to charge us in court though we were ready to fight the case," he said.

The police raid had drawn international attention with journalists groups lambasting the action as a blow to press freedom.

April Fool's probe

Meanwhile, the government said last week that Attorney-General's Chambers is still probing the website's April Fool's prank.

Malaysiakini had posted a 'news report' on April Fool's Day, claiming that three ministers and a menteri besar were to be charged with corruption. A second report was posted at the same time, revealing the joke.

The April Fool's joke had caused a flap among government members.