MCMC: TMI has been blocked

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed that it has blocked online news portal, The Malaysian Insider, for violating the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

In a statement released on Thursday, the commission said that the restrictions follow material published by the news portal that fall under offences under Section 233 of the Act.

“The restriction was also done by the MCMC based on several complaints received from the public,” it said.

MCMC also reminded other news portals not to spread or publish articles from unconfirmed sources as the act could create confusion and could trigger an unwanted situation.

When attempting to reach the site, users are being forwarded to the MCMC page stating that the website is “unavailable in Malaysia as it violates the National laws”.

Earlier, the portal confirmed that it had not received any notice stating that it had flouted local laws.

"This is an unpleasant surprise. I've tried to contact the MCMC but the officers are in a meeting," the portal’s editor and chief executive Jahabar Sadiq was quoted as saying in a report on its portal.

Coincidentally Thursday is the eighth anniversary of the commencement of TMI operations on Feb 25, 2008.