Information Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim today obtained an injunction from the Kuala Lumpur High Court to compel a blogger to remove a defamatory article against him in a blog.

Judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof, in granting Rais' application, ordered Amizudin Ahmat, or his agents, to remove the libelous words or article and photograph of the plaintiff from his blog, sharpshooterblogger.blogspot.com.

NONE The judge also allowed Rais' application restraining Amizudin or his agents from further publishing the said libelous article or any other articles similarly defamatory to him in his blog or in any other blogs and mediums until the disposal of the inter-parte injunction hearing on Feb 22.

Counsel Azad Bashir from Messrs Shafee & Co is representing Rais.

On last Jan 31, Rais filed a defamation suit against Amizudin, who is also a committee member of PKR Youth, over the article published in Amizudin blog, with Rais photograph, on or about Dec 28, last year.

In the suit filed through Messrs Shafee & Co, Rais is seeking general damages, special damages, aggravated damages, punitive damages, interest and injunction against the defendant to remove and to restrain the defendant from futher publishing the said article.

Entire words were malicious

In the statement of claim, Rais, 69, said the entire words in the Malay languange article were malicious and defamatory of him.

The minister said the words in the article meant and/or were understood to mean that he is guilty of a serious offence of having raped and capable of murdering his Indonesian maid.

In the statement of claim, Rais also said that the defamatory words were understood to mean that he is an immoral person and/or leader.

Rais said, following the article, he had been gravely injured in his personal and/or professional reputation nationally and/or internationally, in his character and credit, and had been brought into public scandal, odium and contempt as well as suffered considerable embarrassment, distress and damages.

Rais, who Jelebu MP, denied the allegations last month after a blogger named him.

Subsequently, a woman who worked as a maid for him for eight years was reported by an Indonesian news portal to have denied that she had ever been mistreated or raped by her employer.

- Bernama