KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- The Internal Security Ministry on Saturday suspended for two weeks effective tomorrow the publishing permit of Berita Petang Sarawak newspaper for publishing a seditious article in Chinese which also carried the offensive caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Internal Security Minister, decided to suspend the permit, issued to Berita Petang Sarawak Sdn Bhd, under sub-section 6(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The newspaper published an article entitled "We Are Prepared To Launch A Holy War" on Feb 4 with the controversial cartoons mocking the prophet, the ministry said in a statement today.
By publishing the article, the newspaper had committed an offence and contravened paragraph 6 of the conditions stipulated in the permit under sub-section 6 (1) of the Act, it said.
The statement said the caricatures on Prophet Muhammad carried by the article have been banned by the Internal Security Minister in an order issued under sub-section 7 (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The order bans printing, importing, producing, re-producing, publishing, sale, manufacturing and distributing of the caricatures as they could harm public peace and security.
Berita Petang Sarawak is the third newspaper to have its publishing permit suspended over the publication of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons which originated from Denmark.
Sarawak Tribune and Guang Ming Daily also received the same fate for publishing the caricatures.
