Updated! As expected, the Internal Security Ministry has started to seize the book on sale, barely 2 days after the official launch! According to Malaysiakini, they seized some 10 copies from the Mid Valley MPH bookstore.
According to the publishers of ‘May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969', a team of ministry officers visited the MPH bookstore this afternoon.Do get your copy as soon as possible. You can get a copy from SUARAM, or from other places as mentioned by Elizabeth Wong in her blog. Click here to read more on the seizure which apparently is done in the most amateurish manner, and with no proper identification and documentation. Perhaps they are just impersonating ministry officials, and wanted 10 of the book for FREE. Liz is saying they now owe SUARAM RM200. For the record as well, the book has not been officially banned. But my gut feel says it will come sooner or later. Already BN senators are screaming for blood.
The officers advised the popular bookstore not to sell the book as it may be banned.
According to a letter issued by the ministry officers to the bookstore, the books were confiscated from the shelves for suspicion of being an “undesirable publication” based on Section 7 of the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984.
(for full article, click here)
Update: Check out Khalid Jaafar's blog post on his attendance during the book launch. The most interesting thing is that he mentioned that a former SB Chief, Tan Sri Yuen Lek Lai, was there and he stated that even the SB then didn't know the causes for the incident. He was also defending the police force at that time as doing their job as best they could in an impartial manner. He couldn't say the same for the armed forces. This line is consistent with the observation in Dr Ooi's book on Tun Dr Ismail where the police were credited with being able to bring things under control in an impartial manner, whereas the armed forces on the other hand were reported to have had a hand in even shooting randomly into Chinese owned shophouses. It wasn't until when the Sarawak Rangers who were mainly Ibans were deployed that the biased behaviour of the armed forces were put to an end.
Another interesting point Khalid mentioned as well is that Tan Sri Yuen is supposedly writing a book on the May 13 incident as well. Let's hope that he could finish it and see it published. Additional information will always help to increase our understanding of the unfortunate incident.
Courtesy of Khalid Jaafar
Meanwhile, Said Zahari, who was the ex-editor-in-chief of Utusan Melayu and an ex-ISA detainee in Singapore, called on Malaysians to read Dr Kua's book with an open mind and positive attitude, stating that it's an historical reality and we should not be afraid to face up to it. Read more about it in Malaysiakini.
2 comments:
This is expected. The publication touches on the "raw nerves" of UMNO involving former UMNO leaders via coup and the backwash of the never ending policy. It is the major source of "spinnings" and monopoly of UMNO psychology in the reminder of Malay supremacy. By seizing the publication can it only supress the truth and disseminate its distorted truth vis-a-vis official version.
Fabricated lies cannot withstand the everlasting truth being held by thousands of Malaysians out there, who have a story to tell of their experiences and especially those linked to our former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. The truth will continue to be passed from mouth to mouth and generations to generations. The government can destroy the printed truth but not the everlasting truth. The picture is cystral clear. It only exposes its hypocrisy and hollow rhetorics that BN will nurture humanitarian values and civic consciousness (Manifesto 2004). It has no respect for justice and morals as reflected by its governance. As the Chinese saying goes, "Respect is from others, shame is caused by oneself." The government has nobody to blame but itself. They brought shame to themselves.
i've got my copy already, but no time to read. :P my parents are reading it now.
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