The ban to attend government functions is imposed on all press personnel without media accreditation from the Information Ministry, not only on malaysiakini, said Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung today.

Chor, speaking to malaysiakini via the phone, said that there is no new ruling from the Home Ministry with regard to the Internet newspaper.

He also said he did not make the statement saying that malaysiakini was banned as it was "very critical of the government".

The Sun yesterday quoted Chor as saying that malaysiakini has been barred from covering and attending any government functions as the website is "very critical of the government", on top of not having press accreditation.

The Star also reported Chor as advising government agencies to ensure that its press conferences are attended only by media accredited by the Information Ministry.

Chor was said to be replying to a query by reporters on allegations that Malaysiakini.com had obtained funding from billionaire financier George Soros' charity body, Open Society Institute, through the Bangkok-based South East Asian Press Alliance (Seapa). Malaysiakini has since refuted the allegations ([#1]FEER report untrue, M'siakini never got Soros funds[/#], Feb 2)

Old ruling

"I was just repeating the existing ruling by the Information Ministry that only press personnel with media accreditation can be allowed to cover government functions," Chor said.

"It applies to all without the passes, whether it is malaysiakini or Malaysia sana (Malaysia there). Not because you were critical of the government."

On the fact that the website's reporters were allowed to attend Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's function yesterday despite the said directive from the information ministry to refuse them entry, Chor said that the reporters might have gone in without introducing themselves.

When informed they were allowed to go in with the full knowledge of the official in charge, Chor said: "I will speak to Abdullah and discuss this in the context of the current situation."

Chor did not elaborate on what he meant by "the current situation", merely saying that "it is a matter of ruling and it depends on the agency organising the function to issue passes to those who cover the function."

Publication licence

When queried whether he would change his view to ban malaysiakini should the journalists be given passes by the Information Ministry, Chor said that the website should apply for the passes first.

Chor also said that under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, malaysiakini cannot be considered a newspaper as it does not have a publication licence.

"I too can start a website and post all kinds of news and then call myself a news media. Anybody can do that. So, if you do not have a publication licence, you are not a newspaper," said Chor, referring to the online publication's application for accreditation passes which was rejected last April on the grounds that it did not have a publication licence.

Chor said he will look into the matter further before "coming back to malaysiakini in a few days' time".