PARLIAMENT The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has blocked 399 websites and probed 22 of them up till February 2016.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said the investigations were on websites found to have misused the internet and new media.

"Among the websites blocked include online gambling, scams, prostitution, and websites that contain obscene, lewd, false content and others," he said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.

Salleh yesterday explained in the Dewan Rakyat that the MCMC is empowered to block websites under Section 233 of the MCMC Act.

He also dismissed a suggestion by Hanipa Maidin (Amanah-Sepang) that websites such as the now defunct The Malaysian Insider be put to trial before their sites are blocked.

The senator said the commission can't afford to wait for a court decision before blocking websites, as some of these sites are detrimental to society.