Fresh from winning an apology from Malaysian Press Institute chairperson Chamil Wariya and Utusan Malaysia on Monday, Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok will face the Umno-owned daily in court again in June, on another RM30 million defamation suit.

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur fixed June 6, 7 and June 26 to 28 as trial dates for her suit in which she accuses Utusan of instigating the azan (call for prayer) issue against her.

NONE The claim and report by the daily resulted in Kok being held under the Internal Security Act for a week in September 2008, after which she sued Utusan Malaysia and its columnist Zaini Hassan for defamation.

The matter came up for case management yesterday. Kok's lawyer Sankara Nair told reporters that the issue would go for case management again next month.

Kok in her statement of claim said the Utusan article was published for cheap publicity and targeted at damaging her reputation as a state executive councillor, assemblyperson and Seputeh MP.

It was published without the daily or Zaini making effective and proper queries into the truth and veracity of the report.

"The article was self-evidently of the most serious and damaging nature and was recklessly made," she said in the statement of claim.

Article painted Kok as racist and anti-Islam

The article also painted a picture of her as racist, a religious and racial bigot, an untrustworthy person, intolerant and a chauvinistic politician who is anti-Islam and anti-Malay.

The article was widely republished, disseminated and circulated, and it had injured her reputation and caused her considerable distress, anxiety and embarrassment and detention under the ISA. Kok added.

In the High Court on Monday, Chamil and Utusan made an open apology to Teresa on another RM30 million suit she had filed against the two over a malicious article, Politik Baru YB J, which was also published in 2008.

Chamil in his apology said his short essay sent to Utusan's weekend edition, Mingguan Malaysia, had been twisted from the original form in an unprofessional and unethical manner and done without his knowledge or approval.

However, Utusan in apologising to Kok recorded its objection to Chamil's strong words and assertions used in his apology and asked the court to record this.