The message is blunt: "You are not authorised to view this page" or "You don't have permission to access this server". That was what greeted malaysiakini readers last week.

Many were quick to jump to the conclusion that the powers-that-be were perhaps behind malaysiakini's undoing. They can't be blamed. Given the appalling track record of the government in muzzling the media, more than a few are prone to think the worst.

No, malaysiakini website was not shut down or hacked by some unscrupulous characters. Indeed, the plug on the website was pulled by our web host - some would call it an unscrupulous act - because of "excessive traffic".

This is not the first time that our web host has been unable, and unwilling, to take the heavy load flowing into malaysiakini .

Last March, our web host then HiSpeed in California blamed malaysiakini for crashing their server. We were forced to migrate to a bigger host, and the website was offline for over a week before the transition was made.

We finally moved the site to Texas-based [#1]Cihost. They offer a very attractive package: Unlimited monthly data transfer. This, in layperson's term, means no limit to the number of visitors logging into the site. All this, for US$27 (RM103) a month. What a bargain!

Or so we thought.

Apparently, the "unlimited" traffic which they offer, yes, does have a "limit". It was much like offering an all-you-can-eat buffet, but heavy eaters need to pay extra. And Cihost has the temerity to add that they do not punish those who are successful.

Last month, a sum of some US$700 (RM2,660) was debited from our account. Efforts in querying this by email on a number of occasions drew a blank.

When malaysiakini suddenly was inaccessible, phone calls were made to the web host, who belatedly informed us that we had overshot the "limit" for two months. That explained the earlier bills.

But to add insult to injury, Cihost demanded that malaysiakini fork out a total of US$1,800 (RM6,840) before the website could be put back online. They also required us to pay US$20 for every gigabyte of data transfer, which would have resulted in malaysiakini forking out a further US$ 100 to 200 (RM 380 - 760) per day!

We were tempted to pay, given the no-win situation we were in. But we believe that we should not give in to such blackmail. This is clearly a case of unethical business practice. Cihost should have informed us - well before they decided to pull the plug on the website - that we have to pay for the extra traffic. At least, we could have made plans to move the website elsewhere and thus provide a smooth and seamless transition.

Last week's transfer to the new hosting service took five days. But this can only be a temporary solution.

We are painfully aware that malaysiakini's days of migrating from one website to another are over. We cannot go on renting server space from faceless people.

Indeed, plans are already afoot in getting our own server, which is currently being tested and will be ready next month. In addition, we have prepared a back-up mirror site in case our main server fails.

The mirror site (www.malaysiakini.com.my) will also help relieve the stress on the main site by taking in part of the traffic. The two sites will be carbon copies of each other and readers have the option of visiting either one.

Moreover, when work on revamping the website is completed in a month's time malaysiakini will be officially launched with a new design that loads much faster. It, too, comes with a search engine as well as a few other additions.

It has been a bad week for malaysiakini . We appreciate the many phone calls and messages from our readers. In particular, we would like to thank the individual who sent us a cake on Thursday. The message on the cake, unlike those that malaysiakini readers saw last week on the website, is a tad more heartening.

It said: "Day 4. Don't make me buy papers".

See also:
[#2]Malaysiakini's absence stirs worries[/#] (July 28)