COMMENT United States President Barack Obama should use his historic April 26-27 visit to Malaysia to speak directly on concerns about the country’s deteriorating human rights situation.

Obama will be the first US president to visit Malaysia since 1966.

I note the statement by  Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, John Sifton: “Malaysia’s claims of being a tolerant and rights-respecting democracy don’t stand up to scrutiny.

“President Obama needs to take up concerns that basic rights are under threat, and that civil society is squeezed between restrictive laws and abusive government implementation.”