Protest in Malaysia after government suspends magazine

Malaysian journalists hold placards and banners during a protest against the suspension of Malaysian magazine, The Heat, in Kuala Lumpur, on Jan 4, 2014. Dozens of journalists protested on Saturday, Jan 4, 2014, in Malaysia against the suspension of a weekly magazine, urging the Southeast Asian nation to allow greater press freedom. -- PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR  - Dozens of journalists protested on Saturday in Malaysia against the suspension of a weekly magazine, urging the Southeast Asian nation to allow greater press freedom.

The Heat stopped publication last month after the Home Ministry suspended it, saying it had violated its printing permit as a weekly business magazine and failed to respond to the ministry to explain the matter.

Some 50 journalists and activists, wearing red and chanting "free the media", held an hour-long protest in the capital Kuala Lumpur where they urged the government to lift the suspension and stop controlling the press.

"This is not just about the suspension of The Heat. It's about the freedom of the press," activist Ambiga Sreenevasan said in a speech.

AFP