In February, police questioned Malaysian blogger Jeff Ooi for two hours in connection with a contributor's September 2004 posting to his Web log. The contributor made a disparaging remark about Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's view of Islam. Ooi promptly deleted the message and issued an apology, but police filed their own complaint against him. Sources reported that Ooi was investigated under a section of the nation's penal code that prohibits acts fostering "religious disunity," a charge that carries a penalty of two to five years in prison.

The National Security Bureau of Malaysia confiscated the June 2 edition of the Epoch Times, a Chinese-language newspaper associated with the Falun Gong, and banned subsequent editions of the publication. In July, the government sent an official letter accusing the paper of presenting a negative image of China.

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