Jan 13, 2000

BANGKOK, Jan 13 (Reuters) - An Asian press rights group condemned on Thursday the arrest by Malaysian police of the editor and printer of an opposition party newspaper and demanded Kuala Lumpur drop sedition charges against them.

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) said in an open letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that it was outraged by the arrest of Zulkifli Sulong and Chia Lim Thye.

Zulkifli is editor of the bi-weekly Harakah newspaper of Malaysia's opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Chia's company prints the newspaper.

``We believe strongly that journalists should not go to jail for what they write or publish and that free and open debate in the media of crucial issues makes any society stronger,'' the group said in its letter to Mahathir.

``We therefore call on your government to withdraw the sedition case against Zulkifli and Chia immediately and stop the efforts of the Home Ministry to restrict the sale of Harakah.''

Zulkifli pleaded not guilty on Thursday to sedition over an article alleging a conspiracy by authorities against former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The article in the August 2, 1999, edition of Harakah was by Chandra Muzaffar, deputy president of Parti Keadilan Nasional, an opposition party headed by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

According to the charge sheet, Chandra in the article accused the police, the attorney-general's office, courts and the media of being tools in a conspiracy against Anwar planned by Mahathir.

Anwar was sentenced in April to six years in jail for corruption and is standing trial for alleged sodomy, which he denies. He says he was framed by political opponents.

Mahathir said there was no conspiracy and Anwar had plotted to overthrow his government through street violence.

Malaysian police also arrested Anwar's lawyer Karpal Singh and opposition politician Marina Yusoff on Wednesday, prompting accusations of a government crackdown on dissent.

The government has denied it had launched a crackdown.

SEAPA, an organisation of Southeast Asian journalists working for a free press in the region, said it feared the arrest of Zulkifli and Chia was an attempt by the Malaysian government to stifle opposition voices.

It said Malaysia's strict licensing of publications was already ``an affront to the concept of a free press.''