An international media watchdog has expressed alarm over Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's support for the civil suits against two bloggers and for calling his online critics as liars.

In an interview with the New Sunday Times, Abdullah accused bloggers of spreading "lies after lies" about his government.

On another occasion, he defended the defamation suits filed by the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) against popular bloggers Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Attan.

In a statement today, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) executive director Joel Simon said: "In a country where the legal system has been used to control the traditional media, the Internet has given Malaysians a forum for freer expression."

"The prime minister's remarks and support for this legal action send a message that could well intimidate online writers and stifle the growth of the country's new media," he added.

The suits were filed by NSTP deputy chairperson Kalimullah Hassan, a former editor, Brendan Pereira, and two others.

The complaints are the first ever filed against Malaysian bloggers related to their online writing. Both Ooi, who operates Screenshots and Ahiruddin, who runs Rocky's Bru, have been frequent critics of both the NSTP and Abdullah's administration.

'Cannot hide from the law'

Abdullah was widely quoted over the weekend referring specifically to the cases, saying: "They cannot hope to cover themselves or hide from the law. What is freedom without responsibility?"

The case against Ooi alleged that he had posted 13 defamatory entries. As for Ahiruddin, the plaintiffs cited 48 different postings on his blog in their complaint.

Both blogs have accused Pereira of plagiarism shortly before he announced that he was leaving NSTP in October. Pereira and NSTP have denied the blogs' allegations.

Ahiruddin, Ooi and NSTP have agreed to not publish any articles, comments or posts while the cases are being heard.

Ahiruddin voluntarily removed 400 reader comments specifically about the lawsuit from his website, but has left in tact the allegedly defamatory postings. The next hearing in Ooi's case will be on March 6. Ahirudin's case will begin on Feb 22.