2009 in review + Fast Forward

December 31st 2009 - AP

Amid rumors of yet another crackdown, Malaysian are divided yet again across racial and political divides on this last day of the year.

January 1st 2010 - Reuters

2 little known bloggers from the hard hitting satirical blog bnmustgo (bnmustgo.blogspot.com) were this morning apprehended at their respective residences in Petaling Jaya and Kuching, Malaysia according to reliable sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The same sources also informed that these 2 individuals are most likely to be held under the nation's draconian Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trail.

January 2nd 2010 - Agencies

Home Minister Zahid today issued a brief statement acknowledging that two suspected 'separatist terrorist' where apprehended by members of the special branch in 2 separate pre-dawn raids on New Year's Day. "These 'separatist bloggers' would use any means possible to cause chaos, havoc in their aim to 'break up the nation' and hence must be stopped at all costs," the Minister was quoted saying to journalists at a function on Press Freedom organised by Utusan Malaysia last night.

January 3rd 2010 - Straits Times

The Prime Minister of Malaysia today issued a denial that 2 anti Barisan Nasional bloggers were under arrest and had been placed under the country's draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), despite an earlier press statement by the Home Minister the day before confirming the arrests. The press statement has since been retracted citing an 'error in information processing'.
The PM reiterated ," We have never directed the arrests and I assure you that they are fine and free. We have always respected the individual right of dissent and freedom of speech. Anyone can speak their mind freely." "As to their whereabouts, I don't know. You must ask them. They are freemen.. it's not as if were are in the Big Brother business, keeping tabs on the movement of our citizens," an obviously peeved PM stressed when pressed further.


June 30th 2010 - Agencies

6 months following the New Year's Day swoop by balaclava clad special branch operatives, the whereabouts of the two hitherto little known bloggers were still unknown. The Home Minister and Inspector General of Police have time and again denied any police involvement or arrest of the two, despite various accusations from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.

December 20th 2010- Bernama

The IGP and Elections Commission issued separate statements today warning political parties not to bring up the issue of 2 missing bloggers (persumed kidnapped by government agents by the opposition alliance) during campaigning for the upcoming 13th General Elections, called 3 years early by the ruling coalition in and attempt to stamp the 'rising tide of anti governement sentiment' as insiders are quoted saying. "Any person caught bringing up the issue will be charged under the sedition act," according to sources within the police.


August 31st 2020 - The New Utusan

In a brief and sombre ceremony after the National Day Parades, newly sworn in Prime Minister, Mohd. Raju Chong anak John, dedicated the opposition Pakatan Rakyat's recent landslide win in the polls to those ''Brave men and women" who gave their lives in the face of tyranny for the freedom and equality of their nation, in clear reference to dozens of anti-government bloggers who 'dissapeared' in what he described as the 'darkest period in our nations history'. Ten years on, the whereabouts of 2 most prominent bloggers, who went missing on New Year's Day in 2010. They are presumed dead. "They may be gone, but the nation shall forever remember and be in their debt," the Prime Minister proclaimed in a speech broadcast live to 20 countries world wide.