MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT'S OPENESS TO NEW MEDIA

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government practices an open
approach to the new media by having meetings and dialogues with bloggers in
efforts to convey government policies to the people.

Minister of Information Communication and Culture Dr. Rais
Yatim said the government always emphasised government policies in every meeting
with bloggers as well as reminding them of the Sedition Act, the Defamation Act
and the Internal Security Act.

"Among the approaches that the government takes is having meetings and
dialogues with bloggers to convey the policies of the government, including the
laws, so that each of their actions are in line with the nation's policies
especially regarding national security and racial harmony," he said in reply to
a question by Senator Shamsudin Mehat in the Senate Tuesday.

Rais said his ministry under the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998
organises various seminars and workshops.

"The seminars and workshops are related to issues of cyber usage and
security, publications in local newspapers, interviews on the electronic media
and advertisements in the media to enhance awareness regarding positive use of
the Internet," he said.

He said blogs were a new medium for communication for the young and as such
the government also encouraged the people to use the Internet to widen their
information and knowledge search.

-- BERNAMA