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Media Statement by Charles Santiago in Klang on Tuesday, 19th August 2008: 

Ensure safety and freedom of access to information of journalist  

I strongly condemn the outrageous physical assault on two photographers by a mob in Permatang Pauh Saturday. This is the latest case in a series of attacks on the press in the last two months.

The New Straits Times pixman and French photojournalist Hamil Berbar were set upon by a group of men when they were doing their job. Early this month the Guang Ming Daily photographer was kicked, choked and hit on the head while working. A foreign photojournalist's camera was damaged while covering the fuel price hike rally last month and at least three press representatives were hurt when a scuffle broke out after the live telecast of the fuel price hike debate.

It is alarming to note the rising number of cases of media attacks in the country.
Following Saturday's incident, both the ruling and opposition leaders have been pinning the blame on each others supporters, while negating from the crucial issue of press freedom and safety in the country.

Free and independent media are the core fundamentals of democracy. It is appalling when violence is used against press workers to intimidate them. It is even more shocking when the media is targeted to satisfy a political agenda.

I call upon the police to put in place effective crowd management measures to ensure such untoward incidences do not happen in the future and especially during the by election on the 26th of this month. The police and security forces must ensure that journalists are free to carry out their duties without fear of harassment and assault.

We look on with horror when we hear stories of reporters who are mercilessly killed for reporting on sensitive issues or for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are stunned into silence when we are told that 60 journalists were killed for their work in 2007, the second deadliest year for the press according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. But we tend to dismiss attacks on press workers in our own country. The consequences of our actions are grave - journalists are forced to censor themselves and leave the nation deprived of vital information and without the ability to hold the perpetrators to account.

Malaysia has earned quite a reputation for cracking down on the media, shutting down publications by refusing to renew printing licenses and jailing reporters.

It is high time that we appreciate the role played by the media in the development of the country. It is imminent that the press workers are treated with respect for they put themselves on the line to report on important stories. Let us work together to provide an environment where journalists are able to gather and disseminate information without the threat of verbal and physical assaults.


* Charles Santiago, MP for Klang