He Criticizes Malaysia for Jailing of Canadian : Clinton Backs Journalist 
International Herald Tribune
September 14, 1999
Thomas Fuller

President Bill Clinton said Monday that he was "deeply concerned" about the jailing of a Canadian journalist in Malaysia.

Murray Hiebert, a reporter for The Far Eastern Economic Review, a Hong Kong-based magazine published by Dow Jones & Co., was sentenced to six weeks in prison Saturday for contempt of court.

"Putting a journalist in jail for doing his job undermines the press freedoms that play such a critical role in building a democratic society," Mr. Clinton said in a statement released in New Zealand, where he is attending a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders. "We will continue to monitor developments in this case closely," he said.

The Canadian foreign minister, Lloyd Axworthy, was quoted by Reuters as saying that Canada would be "looking very seriously about what kind of action we can take."

"The decision of the Malaysian courts is outrageous," Mr. Axworthy said.

Asked about Mr. Clinton's comments, the Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, said that the president was "entitled to his opinion" but that he objected to some "American habits."

"I think he is entitled to his opinion," he said. "I'm entitled to mine, and I don't think that arresting Noriega in Panama and bringing him back to trial, by law that Noriega is not normally subject to, is fair either." General Manuel Antonio Noriega was seized during the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and taken to Florida, where he was tried and convicted in 1992 of drug charges and is serving a 40-year term.

"I think American habits of arresting other citizens in other countries and bringing them back to trial in America is contrary to international law," Mr. Mahathir said, adding, "I also dislike the continuous bombing of Iraq."

Mr. Hiebert's conviction stemmed from an article he wrote about a woman who sued the International School of Kuala Lumpur after her son was kicked off the debating team. The suit was brought by Chandra Sri Ram, the wife of Judge Gopal Sri Ram of the Court of Appeal.

A judge ruled that Mr. Hiebert's article, which dealt with the growing number of suits in Malaysia, had "scandalized" the court and was "calculated to excite prejudice against the plaintiff."

Lawyers for Mr. Hiebert say it is the first time in 50 years that a journalist has been jailed for contempt in any Commonwealth country for press coverage.

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