YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abdul Taib bin Mahmud
Chief Minister
Sarawak State Government
Sarawak
Malaysia
Vienna, 19 February 1997
Dear Sir,
The International Press Institute (IPI) is most concerned about the continued boycott of the See Hua Group of Newspapers by the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
Last September, in the wake of disappointing election results for the Party, a SUPP Central Working Committee issued a directive to its members to stop subscribing to and advertising in the newspapers owned by the Sibu-based See Hua Group of companies. Reporters for the group’s newspapers See Hua Daily News, Borneo Post and Sin Hua Evening News, were barred from attending any SUPP functions and vendors were encouraged to stop selling the aforementioned titles. In an official statement, SUPP said that it would not lift the boycott until the newspapers “rid themselves” of those persons responsible for publishing articles that are “unfair, misleading and falsifying.”
On 3 December 1996, IPI wrote to H. E. Yam Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir, Prime Minister of Malaysia, urging an immediate and unconditional end to these unwarranted measures. We are now informed that the boycott is still in effect and that not only members of SUPP, but also Sarawak State Government departments are banned from subscribing to and advertising in the Group’s newspapers. Moreover, certain private companies have decided to cancel their advertisements because of a fear of possible reprimand from government departments.
IPI, the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in over 90 countries, regards these boycotts to be a blatant form of “scapegoatism” aimed at blaming the See Hua Group of Newspapers for SUPP’s loss of 3 seats and the defeat of SUPP President Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Kai. We urge you to ensure that the boycott is discontinued immediately and unconditionally and that this is made known to the public.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
