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[sangkancil] [charter2000] SOROS-Msiakini: Denial & NST report (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2001 04:08:17 +0800
From: Fathi Aris Omar <fathi@malaysiakini.com>
Reply-To: charter2000@yahoogroups.com
To: charter2000@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [charter2000] SOROS-Msiakini: Denial & NST report
See Malaysiakini denial here
http://www.malaysiakini.com/News/2001/02/2001020202.php3
See NST report here (FULL TEXT down below)
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/NewsBreak/20010202171819
FEER identifies Soros as Malaysiakini backer
by Abdul Razak Ahmad
02 February 2001
The Far Eastern Economic Review, in its Feb 8 edition, has
identified billionaire financier George Soros as being one
of the backers of Internet news portal Malaysiakini.com.
The weekly magazine carried an interview with Soros, saying
that his philanthropic Open Society Fund financially
supported Malaysiakini.
The Fund, which has offices in 25 countries and
troubled-provinces worldwide, is said to finance various
media and human rights groups in Southeast Asia.
Apart from Malaysiakini, the article said that the Fund also
supported the Chiang Mai, Thailand-based publication on
Myanmar "The Irrawady", and a string of radio stations in
Indonesia.
Soros, the billionaire financier was blamed as the main
culprit behind the wave of Asian monetary speculation that
led to the 1997 regional economic downturn.
He has also been asked by America's ABC News channel whether
he would have shrunk from his speculative activities if he
had known it would destroy Malaysia's currency, to which he
replied:
"Not necessarily, because that would have been an unintended
consequence of my action, and it's not my job as a
participant to calculate the consequences."
Malaysiakini, contacted today over the matter, denied
receiving any funds from Soros.
In a statement, its chief executive officer Premesh Chandran
said that that Malaysiakini was prepared to publicly declare
details of its income to show that "not a single sen comes
from the Open Society Fund."
Chandran said Malaysiakinis financing came from a mix of
different sources. They include capital investments from
Malaysiakini's founders, advertising revenues and a grant
from the Thailand-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance
(Seapa).
He added that Malaysiakini had informed the Far Eastern
Economic Review of its stand on the report.
Chandran said he was informed by the magazine's editor,
Michael Vatikiotis, that a correction would be run.
Contacted later in Hong Kong, Vatikiotis' office confirmed
that Malaysiakini had informed them about the matter and
that he would issue a statement soon.
In an immediate reaction, Umno vice-president Tan Sri
Muhammad Muhammad Taib said if the report was correct,
Soros' funding of a Malaysian news-provider would have
serious repercussions on the country's sovereignty.
"It would represent a direct form of intervention in the
country's affairs," said Muhammad when contacted today.
Grassroots activist group Badan Bertindak Melayu's
information chief Datuk Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said the
authorities should determine whether Soros' alleged funding
was channeled legitimately.
He said the authorities should take action against those
involved if investigations conclude that the funding was
channelled by the Open Society Fund to Malaysiakini.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
stressed that locally-based news-providers should not be
linked with any international organisation which could
affect their independence.
"We must not be indebted to those who harbour agendas," he
said.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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