LOCAL NEWSPAPER WARNS FOR HUMORING JAPAN'S TSUNAMI

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Berita Harian, a local newspaper, had been given a stern warning for publishing in its Sunday edition, the Berita Minggu, a caricature that treated the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan as a joke.
Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said considering that the illustration was related to a humanitarian matter, no legal action could be taken against the newspaper under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 or Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act.

• Rais also reminded the newspaper not to use calamities like earthquakes or tsunami as a source of humour.
• "We have told Berita Harian that there should be no humour in its publication with regard to any disaster as this could hurt people's feelings. It (disaster) is something that we should all face together.
• "So, whether it is Ultraman or any other comic figure, we should not use it as a source of humour. Our views on this have been conveyed to the editors of the newspaper and they have apologised, particularly to the Japanese people," he said.
• Berita Minggu published a caricature by Zoy featuring Ultraman, the popular Japanese superhero, running away helter-skelter from the huge tsunami waves.

Following this, several quarters have voiced their objection and regret over the newpaper's insensitiveness to the plight of the Japanese who were hit by the tsunami following the 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of north-eastern Japan last Friday.

Berita Harian on its front page today apologised for the offending caricature.

Source: Bernama