Malaysiakini has called on international magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review, to issue a clear retraction of its report linking Internet news website malaysiakini to financier George Soros.

In an article titled [#1]'Levelling the Field'[/#] in its Feb 8 edition, the weekly magazine stated that malaysiakini was among the media organisations in Asia which received funds from the Open Society Fund, a charity body set up by the US-based billionaire.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini.com chief executive officer Premesh Chandran said in a statement that the Review's report, which said that the Internet news portal has received funds from Soros, is not true.

This inaccurate detail appeared in the introduction to an interview with Soros conducted by the Review's Nayan Chanda in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan 28.

The News Straits Times today ran a report titled "Soros-backed Seapa gives grants to news portal" quoting the Review's managing editor Michael Vatikiotis as saying that "the Open Society Fund funds the Bangkok, Thailand-based [#2]Southeast Asian Press Alliance[/#] (Seapa), one source of funding for Malaysiakini.com."

According to Chandran, this clarification from the Review, while a departure from the assertion that malaysiakini is directly funded by Soros' foundation, is inadequate.

This is because it suggested that malaysiakini received funds indirectly from Soros, which is not the case, he said.

"The clarification is misleading. In the light of the [#3]Open Society Institute[/#] (OSI) statement, we hope it would convince the Review to issue a clear explanation of their inaccurate report on malaysiakini," said Chandran today.

He was referring to a statement which the OSI sent to Vatikiotis this morning, and copied to malaysiakini.

No funding provided

The statement, signed by OSI's senior policy advisor Laura Silber in New York, clarified that the institute does not provide any funding to malaysiakini "directly or indirectly".

"As far as Seapa is concerned, OSI provided a grant in the form of a stipend to an advisor for the [#4]Committee to Protect Journalists[/#] (CPJ)," said Silber.

New York-based CPJ works closely with Seapa - a regional network of journalist organisations - in a joint effort to highlight the violations of press freedom in Southeast Asia.

"No funding whatsoever has been extended from OSI through Seapa to Malaysiakini.com," Silber added.

In a frontpage report, [#5]George Soros funds Malaysiakini, says Review[/#] today, NST quoted Umno vice-president Muhammad Muhammad Taib as saying that if the report was true, Soros' funding of malaysiakini would have serious repercussions on the country's sovereignty.

"It would represent a direct form of intervention in the country's affairs," he said.




OSI statement

Michael Vatikiotis
Managing Editor
Far Eastern Economic Review

Feb 2, 2001

Dear Mr Vatikiotis,

In response to your issue dated February 8, 2001, this is to inform you that the Open Society Institute (OSI) has not provided any funding to Malaysiakini.com directly or indirectly. As far as the South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) is concerned, OSI provided a grant in the form of a stipend to an advisor for the Committee to Protect Journalists. No funding whatsoever has been extended from OSI through SEAPA to Malaysiakini.com.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide you any further information.

Sincerely,

Laura Silber
Senior Policy Advisor
Open Society Institute
Lsilber@sorosny.org
1-212-548-0640
1-917-545-5316