updated version

The Sun newspaper's management yesterday rejected the request of two union bodies to revoke the suspension of two journalists who reported an alleged plot to kill the country's top two leaders on Christmas Day.

The two bodies - National Union of Journalists and Malaysian Trades Union Congress - wrote to the management of Sun Media Corporation on Dec 29 and 31 respectively, urging for immediate reinstatement of journalist R Manirajan and photographer Anita Md Nasir.

Manirajan and Anita have been suspended since last Wednesday - a day after their report was published - pending investigations by the company.

Two other staff - chief news editor Robert Ho and managing editor Chong Cheng Hai - have been suspended indefinitely.

In a written reply to MTUC yesterday, the company's newly-appointed executive director Frankie Tay Thiam Siew said the suspension was based on preliminary information from various parties, including Manirajan and Anita.

The two journalists are suspended on "full salary without loss of any benefits... to facilitate further investigations", Tay added in the letter.

He also said the suspension of the two senior editors - Ho and Chong - was of no concern to MTUC as the duo were not members of any trade union.

Tay as well as company's newly-appointed deputy chairperson VK Lingam could not be reached for comment.

'Baseless'

On Dec 25, The Sun reported on its front page that police have uncovered a plot by local politicians who hired someone to kill Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy Abdullah "in a month or two".

It was picked up by foreign press and published worldwide on the same day. Mahathir subsequently criticised the newspaper for sensationalist reporting and said it could have adverse effects on the country's economy.

Editor-in-chief and executive director H'ng Hung Yong resigned last Wednesday, followed by news editor Andy Ng on the next day.

An apology to Mahathir and Abdullah published on Dec 27 said the controversial assassination story was "baseless" but journalists of The Sun later said they stood by the story.

Boycott and pickets

MTUC secretary-general G Rajasekaran told malaysiakini today that he was disappointed with the company's "arrogant and inconsiderate" reply.

He said the "further investigations" cited by the management was just an excuse to prolong the suspension.

"What are they (the management) investigating? The journalists were told to write the story and they wrote the story. It's not complicated at all," said Rajasekaran.

He added that it is the mission of MTUC to speak out for all Malaysian workers, including Ho and Chong who, despite being in management, are still employees of The Sun .

He said MTUC, which represents 230 affiliates with more than 700,000 members, may call for a boycott against the daily should the management continue to ignore the calls from various parties to lift the suspension of the two journalists.

"But we will wait and hope that good sense on the part of the management will prevail," he said.

Presence of firearm

On a related matter, Rajasekaran said the alleged presence of an unknown individual carrying firearm in The Sun 's office was an act to intimidate its employees.

Yesterday, two journalists lodged a report at the Petaling Jaya police station in Selangor, alleging that there was an unidentified man holding a gun in the office compound since last week.

According to broadcast website RadiqRadio , a police spokesperson said that the individual had been identified as the bodyguard to company deputy chairperson Lingam.

He added that the police will not act against the bodyguard as he was authorised with the license to carry firearm.

Meanwhile, when contacted, NUJ president Norila Md Daud said the body will continue to support a series of pickets by its members in The Sun , which started on New Year's Eve.

She said NUJ's support for the picket will focus more on the two-month bonus which was promised by the management to the staff - one to be paid by end of last December and another month's bonus in three instalments commencing February.

At a meeting with the editorial staff last Saturday, Sun Media deputy chairperson Lingam said the issuance of the bonus would be re-looked.