The Internal Security Ministry confiscated 10 copies a controversial
book with new claims on the May 13 racial riots from a major
bookstore in the Midvalley shopping centre today.
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.
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.
The act empowers the minister to ban any publication which is
"prejudicial to or likely to be prejudicial to public order,
morality, security, the relationship with any foreign country or
government, or which is likely to alarm public opinion".
The book is penned by academic Dr Kua Kia Soong as a result of a
three-month research at the Public Records Office in London to study
records and declassified documents on the May 13, 1969 communal riots.
Based on official correspondences and intelligence reports by British
officers, Kua argued that the riots were not random acts of communal
violence but a coup d'etat attempt by a faction within Umno.
He asserts that the coup attempt against then premier Tunku Abdul
Rahman was also backed by the police and army with the intention of
forging a new Malay agenda.
Kua said official records show was evidence that portrayal of the
event in history books were heavily distorted, which blamed the riots
on opposition parties "infiltrated by communist insurgents".
Senators want book banned
Official figures said the May 13 riots claimed 196 lives, 180 were
wounded by firearms and 259 by other weapons, 9,143 persons were
arrested out of whom 5,561 were charged in court, 6,000 persons
rendered homeless, at least 211 vehicles and 753 buildings were
destroyed or damaged.
Following this, Malaysian government embarked on an affirmative
action policy, the New Economic Policy, to uplift the economic
standards of the Malays, which objectives have been kept in place up
to today.
Yesterday in the Dewan Negara, three senators have called for the
book to be banned.
In response, Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow today said
that the ministry would study the contents of the book and take
action soon, according to the evening edition of China Press today.
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