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50-564: In 1980, chief editor Seah Chiang Nee announced the proposed launch of a new English-language broadsheet daily newspaper in 1981. Sin Chew Daily had a 26 percent stake in the newspaper and had planned to construct new buildings at Genting Lane, Singapore, to house both the Singapore Monitor and Chinese newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau . In 1982, in a revamp of the press by the government, Sin Chew Daily and Nanyang Siang Pau merged into

100-615: A backdrop in late 1986 and 1987 of a split within UMNO into two opposing groups, commonly referred to as Team A led by Mahathir, and Team B led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Musa Hitam . Mahathir was challenged for the leadership and narrowly won, but faced a subsequent legal challenge on his win. There were also attacks by the government on several non-governmental organizations (NGO) which were critical of various government policies. Mahathir called these "intellectual elites" as "tools of foreign powers" and saboteurs of democracy. In addition,

150-582: A nationwide ban on any gathering or rally, including those previously approved. Later in December 1987, Dr Mahathir introduced two pieces of legislation to impose additional restrictions on publications and grant police greater powers to curb public gatherings. The Prime Minister gave the approval for the arrest of 106 people, later increased to 119, under the Internal Security Act . The first 19 people were detained on 27 October 1987, rising to 54 by 10pm

200-422: A news article published. On 14 May 2018, Sin Chew Daily offered an apology to PKR's Rafizi Ramli over a report claiming he coveted the post of finance minister. Sin Chew Daily posted an explanation on its website admitting an error in its May 13 report claiming Rafizi "advised" PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to snub a Pakatan Harapan (PH) meeting on Cabinet posts after he was purportedly overlooked for

250-487: A nominal fee of $ 10,000. As a result of the transfer of titles, Singapore Monitor will not compete in the morning newspaper market with The Straits Times for three years. Newspaper circulation remains similar for weekday edition between New Nation and Singapore Monitor while Sunday Monitor , the Sunday edition of Singapore Monitor , fell below than that of Sunday Nation leading up to 1985. On 11 July 1985, chairman of

300-919: A number of Malaysian Chinese writers such as Tei Chiew-Siah and Li Zishu who have made a mark in the literary world has received the Award. The award recognizes excellence in various categories, including fiction, prose and poetry. It also awards an international prize biennially to writers worldwide who write in the Chinese language; recipients include Wang Anyi , Yan Lianke , Yu Kwang-chung and Pai Hsien-yung . Operasi Lalang UMNO (1964–2016) BERSATU (2016–2020) PEJUANG (2020–2023) PUTRA (2023–present) Alliance Party (1964–1974) Barisan Nasional (1974–2016) Pakatan Harapan (2017–2020) Gerakan Tanah Air (2022–2023) [REDACTED] Operation Lalang ( Malay : Operasi Lalang , also called Ops Lalang and taken to mean "Operation Weeding")

350-560: A number of race and religion-related issues had arisen which had a cumulative effect in raising ethnic tension. These included the switch to Malay language as a medium of instruction for optional courses in the departments of Chinese and Tamil studies at the University of Malaya , the use of Chinese characters in certain signboards, the deputy president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Lee Kim Sai questioning use of

400-567: A photograph of Malaysia's ruling party to remove Anwar Ibrahim , who had been imprisoned for corruption. According to BBC News , the Malaysiakini report led to "worldwide infamy" for Sin Chew Jit Poh , and the newspaper later issued a public apology. On 4 December 2009, Sin Chew Daily has apologised to the Federation of Hainan Association Malaysia president Foo Sae Heng for misquoting him in

450-422: A single holding company and as a single company, held 52 percent of Singapore Monitor while the remaining 48 percent held by United Overseas Bank , OUB and Development Bank of Singapore equally. Singapore Monitor will hold the afternoon newspaper market with the transfer of the title New Nation and its Sunday title Sunday Nation from The Straits Times from 1 May onwards, lasting up to one year for

500-482: A social reformist group that campaigned against exploitation of the poor, and Environment Protection Society of Malaysia, were also arrested. Although most of the detainees were released either conditionally or unconditionally, 49 were served with two-year detention orders, with the last one being freed in April 1989. The detainees were first interrogated and kept at various police stations, those retained longer were sent to

550-624: Is a leading Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia . According to report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the period ending 31 December 2011, Sin Chew Daily has an average daily circulation of almost 500,000 copies and also the largest-selling Chinese-language newspaper outside Greater China. It is only on Sundays that the circulation of the Malay-language (national language of Malaysia) papers exceeds that of Sin Chew Daily . Sin Chew Daily

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600-756: Is owned by Sin Chew Media Corporation Berhad, a subsidiary of Media Chinese International Limited . It is a member of the Asia News Network . It is circulated throughout Malaysia and neighboring countries, in Southern Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia . It is also published and printed in Indonesia and Cambodia, under different mastheads. Sin Chew Daily has 53 news bureaus and six printing plants in Peninsular and East Malaysia. Sin Chew Daily

650-488: The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis the following year. Although Operation Lalang was ostensibly undertaken for reason of national security, it is also widely seen by commentators as a show of force by Mahathir against his political challengers. The operation created considerable fear inside and outside UMNO. Lim Kit Siang, one of the detainees, similarly argued that the ISA arrests were more directed against UMNO rather than

700-496: The Kamunting Detention Center , the usual place used for ISA detainees. Those who were detained longer included Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh plus five other party colleagues, a number of PAS members including Mohamad Sabu , and many social activists such as Tuang Pik King and Mohd Nasir Hashim . Some of the prisoners detained during Operation Lalang were alleged to have been tortured during their captivity. In

750-512: The Singapore Monitor , Chua Kim Yeow , announced that the Singapore Monitor will shut down on 14 July with Sunday Monitor the last issue of the company. The closure was due to the loss of funds, with its capital of $ 20 million used and a further $ 6 million owed to its parent company, Singapore News and Publication Limited . Sin Chew Daily Sin Chew Daily ( Chinese : 星洲日報 ), formerly known as Sin Chew Jit Poh ,

800-539: The Civil Rights Committee Kua Kia Soong , and Women's Aid Organisation member Irene Xavier . The MCA deputy president Lee Kim Sai had apparently been warned beforehand and he left for Australia for a few months the day the arrests began. Of the politicians arrested, three were UMNO members, eight MCA, five Gerakan, fifteen PAS, sixteen DAP, and two PSRM . The three UMNO members arrested were closely associated with Mahathir's rivals, even though

850-698: The MCA are component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition) for their collusion with the Dong Jiao Zong and the opposition DAP. The UMNO protesters called for the resignations of MCA's Lee Kim Sai that mirrored the call for the resignation of UMNO Education Minister Anwar Ibrahim by the Chinese protesters. Najib Razak , then chairman of the UMNO Youth wing, led the Malay rally in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. During

900-555: The Prime Minister had to have a quid pro quo for cancelling the UMNO rally, therefore opposition leaders and civil libertarians were arrested in order to placate the disappointed would-be rally participants. The immediate effect of the operation was the arrest of a number of prominent political leaders, social activists and others, for incitement of racial sentiments and for showing Marxist tendencies. The publication licences of three newspapers were revoked. Mahathir also announced

950-938: The UMNO's rallies were supported and initiated by Mahathir's allies (a further UMNO member who was a Mahathir ally was said to have been detained for an unrelated reason). The UMNO, MCA and Gerakan detainees were released within two months, while most of those from the opposition parties and NGOs were detained much longer. The majority of the detainees had no connection with the events in Kuala Lumpur, for example, several Baptist Church members in Petaling Jaya were arrested for allegedly converting seven Malays, and at least nine PAS members were arrested for making claims about Christians converting Malays. Many of those detained were also not involved in creating racial tensions; for example, Chandra Muzaffar , chairman of Aliran whose philosophy involves intercommunal cooperation, and members of Insan,

1000-528: The Year. Freedom House regards Sin Chew Daily as "fairly pro-Beijing" and said the newspaper published an article repeating state media narratives. Sin Chew has also published content critical of China, including information compiled from foreign sources. Steven Gan 's independent news site Malaysiakini began with a 20 November 1999 story criticizing the practices of Sin Chew Jit Poh . The newspaper had doctored

1050-604: The aftermath of the crackdown on newspapers and a subsequent legislation on press activity, editorials of newspaper started to self-censor and became cautious about the stories they ran. According to journalists working during that period, newspapers were also advised by the Home Ministry to avoid certain issues, and editors were called for briefings with various ministries on the way a subject should be covered. The Star itself, after its return, never regained its previous 'liberal flavour'. The Printing Presses and Publications Act

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1100-481: The afternoon the day following the first arrests, the Home Ministry withdrew the licences of the English language newspapers The Star and Sunday Star , the Chinese language Sin Chew Jit Poh , and the Malay language Watan . The Star was claimed to have being targeted as it had served as an outlet for alternative views from non-established groups as well as dissident opinions from Mahathir's rival Team B, and it and

1150-451: The bronze sculpture "Hua Zong" as a prize for the award winner. Thus the literary award was renamed "Hua Zong" or Floral Trail Literation Awards. Hua (花, huā) means flower, but it also has similar pronunciation to Huá (華) meaning Chinese, this new adopted name bears the significance of connecting worldwide Chinese through literature. The award has helped foster Chinese Literature in Malaysia;

1200-469: The country was facing an economic recession and high unemployment, and could not afford racial riots. The operation was codenamed lalang after a type of weed found in Malaysia. According to Mahathir the decision for the operation was taken by the police, and that he, as the Minister of Home Affairs, had to go along with it. The Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Mohammed Hanif Omar said the police operation

1250-455: The country. According to the Malaysian government's white paper explaining the arrests, various groups had exploited the government's "liberal" and "tolerant" attitude and played up "sensitive issues", thereby creating racial tension in the country. This racial tension, the government said, forced the government to act "swiftly and firmly" to contain the situation. The crackdown happened against

1300-497: The directives from the government on restraining foreigners from controlling the press, the Aw family transferred their ownership of Sin Chew Daily to Lim Kheng Kim in 1982. In 1987, Sin Chew Daily sank into deep financial trouble, and a receiver was appointed over the company. On 27 October 1987, the publication licence of Sin Chew Daily was suspended under Operasi Lalang , one of the most drastic clampdowns on civil dissent launched by

1350-695: The eleventh hour to allow time for the government to resolve the issue, nevertheless 57 schools went ahead with the strike on 15 October, either because they did not receive the notice of postponement, or they disagreed with the decision. Even though the boycott was officially postponed, the stage was set for a response from the Malays led by UMNO Youth . A mass rally of 10,000 was held at the TPCA Stadium on Jalan Raja Muda in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur on 17 October. UMNO politicians condemned MCA leaders (both UMNO and

1400-552: The finance portfolio. As part of an effort to encourage the Chinese community to develop a love for its culture and language, Sin Chew Daily has instigated a host of cultural events, one of its highlights being the Hua Zong Literature Award (花縱文學獎), established in 1991. The inaugural literary award was named as the Sin Chew Daily Literature Awards. Renowned Singapore artist Tan Swie Hian created

1450-475: The government's liberal attitudes: "Being liberal to them is like offering a flower to a monkey. The monkey would rather tear the flower apart than appreciate its beauty". Operation Lalang is a major event in Mahathir's administration that had a strong impact on civil liberties in Malaysia, and it was seen as an excuse by the Mahathir government to tighten the executive hold by restricting fundamental liberties. To

1500-529: The government. Tiong Hiew King, an entrepreneur from Sarawak, acquired Sin Chew Daily in 1988. After five months 11 days, Sin Chew Daily resumed publication on 8 April 1988. In the early 1990s, Sin Chew Daily emerged as the best-selling Chinese newspaper, beating Nanyang Siang Pau , the leading Chinese newspaper then. On 29 January 2007, the merger of Sin Chew Media Corporation, Hong Kong Ming Pao Enterprise Corporation and Nanyang Press Holdings

1550-534: The management of descendant of the Aw brothers. In order to expedite the printing process, in 1966, Sin Chew Daily built a new plant located at its present head office premises in Petaling Jaya. With the setting up of this new plant, other departments such as the news desk, editorial, production and circulation were started. The Petaling Jaya operation became independent from the head office in Singapore. Following

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1600-556: The next day, and later the night, the number grew to 63. By 20 November 1987, 106 had been arrested. Among the more prominent detainees were opposition leader and DAP Secretary-General Lim Kit Siang , DAP Deputy chairman Karpal Singh , MCA Vice-President and Perak Chief Chan Kit Chee, Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Youth Chief Halim Arshat, UMNO MP for Pasir Mas Ibrahim Ali , and UMNO Youth Education chairman Mohamed Fahmi Ibrahim. Other prominent non-political detainees included Dong Jiao Zong Chairman Lim Fong Seng, Publicity Chief of

1650-421: The opposition parties, Operation Lalang came to symbolise 'injustice' and government 'oppression'. The first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman , commenting on Operation Lalang, said: "We are on the road to dictatorship. I cannot see any other way... This is no democracy." The operation is seen as the beginning of Mahathir's authoritarian rule which continued with the sacking of Supreme Court judges in

1700-493: The other two were also the only domestic newspapers that regularly covered the activities of public interest groups. Former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman , who wrote a column for The Star, said that "we are on the road to dictatorship", a comment which wasn't reported by the other newspapers. The Star , Sin Chew Jit Poh and Watan regained their licences on 22 March 1988 and soon resumed publication, however Watan never fully recovered and shut down permanently in 1996. In

1750-527: The political parties which would also require a permit. It made it practically impossible to hold any political meeting, including a party's annual general meeting, without a police permit. A conviction could mean a fine of RM10,000 and a jail term of one year. According to Mahathir, the amendments to the Police Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act were aimed at individuals and groups who abused

1800-435: The racial crisis, and that Mahathir allowed the situation to escalate so he could then crack down and consolidate his position against his internal rivals. Dr Mahathir later expressed regret in his memoir about the severity of Operation Lalang, but suggested that it was the result of a recommendation of strong action by the police. He said that the government response had probably been "excessive and disproportionate", and that

1850-400: The rally, Najib was alleged to have threatened to soak a keris in Chinese blood, evoking fears of repeating the 13 May incident within the Chinese community. Many Chinese businesses around the city were closed for a few days for fear of any potential attacks from the Malay ultra-nationalists. To make matters worse, a tinder box situation was created by an unrelated event on 18 October –

1900-501: The rampage of a Malay soldier, widely known as 'Prebet Adam', who killed a Malay and injuring two other persons with an M16 rifle in the Chow Kit area, which straddles two large Chinese and Malay communities. While Prime Minister Mahathir was away abroad, Sanusi Junid, the UMNO party secretary-general, and other UMNO leaders called for the holding of a large rally in Kuala Lumpur on 1 November to celebrate its 41st Anniversary. The rally

1950-571: The requirement for annual licence application and the government's 'absolute discretion' over permits, and reinstated judicial overview. Amendments were also made to the Police Act to restrict right to free assembly by making a police permit mandatory for public gatherings. It required that any assembly of more than five people in a public area to obtain a police permit 14 days before the assembly. The law also prohibited public rallies for electoral campaigns, and only allowed ceramah (public lecture) by

2000-708: The school personnel. Chinese educationalist groups contended that the move would limit the usage of Chinese in these schools. On 11 October 1987, a 2,000-strong gathering was held by the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, the association of Chinese school teachers and trustees, also known as Dong Jiao Zong ) at the Hainanese Association Building beside the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur . It

2050-488: The tension. The notion that racial riots were imminent however is contested, and it is widely believed that the operation was designed to control the political opponents of the Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad . The event marked the beginning of a period of Mahathir's authoritarian rule. A number of political developments and issues preceding the operation had caused mounting political and racial tensions in

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2100-589: The term pendatang (immigrants) that was seen as challenging Malay's bumiputra status, as well as rumours of forced conversion to or from Islam. The immediate cause, however, was the Ministry of Education 's decision to appoint some 100 senior assistants and supervisors to Chinese-medium primary schools. Concerns were raised by Chinese politicians and organizations that those appointed were Chinese who were not Chinese-educated, implying that students and parents might be forced to use English or Malay to communicate with

2150-472: Was a major crackdown undertaken by the Royal Malaysian Police from 27 October to 20 November 1987, ostensibly to prevent the occurrence of racial riots in Malaysia . The operation saw the arrest of 106 to 119 people—political activists, opposition politicians, intellectuals, students, artists, scientists and others—who were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). It

2200-481: Was amended to make printers and publishers re-apply for their licences annually, and established an ouster clause preventing any revocation of license by the Home Affairs Minister from being called into question by the courts . A new criminal offence of "maliciously publishing false news" which carries a three-year jail sentence and/or fines was also added. The Act was subsequently amended in 2012 to remove

2250-459: Was announced. On 30 April 2008, the newly formed Media Chinese International Limited (MCIL) unprecedentedly listed on both Bursa Malaysia and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. After the merger, MCIL is now the largest Chinese newspaper group outside mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. On 27 June 2009, MCIL clinched the National Mergers and Acquisitions Award 2009 for The Most Innovative Deal of

2300-540: Was for the sake of national security, and had nothing to do with politics. The proposed UMNO rally was given as one of the reasons by the Inspector General of Police for the 27 October crackdown under the Internal Security Act. It was argued that had the rally been held, it could have sparked off racial riots given the likely incendiary nature of the speeches of UMNO politicians. It has also been argued that

2350-735: Was founded on 15 January 1929, by Aw Boon Par (胡文豹) and Aw Boon Haw (胡文虎), founder of the Tiger Balm (虎標萬金油) in Straits Settlements as part of the Star Amalgamated Newspaper formed by these two philanthropists. The newspaper was suspended between 1942 and 1945 during the Japanese occupation of Malaya . A Kuala Lumpur office was established in 1950, but even after the secession of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, Sin Chew Daily still operated with its headquarters in Singapore under

2400-412: Was joined by prominent politicians from Chinese-based parties such as the MCA's Deputy President and Labour Minister Lee Kim Sai , the leader of Democratic Action Party (DAP) Lim Kit Siang , as well as representatives from GERAKAN and other parties. The meeting resolved to call a three-day boycott in Chinese schools if the government did not settle the appointments issue. The boycott was called off at

2450-483: Was originally to be held in Johor Bahru but later changed to Kuala Lumpur, where UMNO leaders claimed would see the attendance of half a million members. The rally was cancelled after the Prime Minister returned and Operation Lalang was launched. On 27 October 1987, Mahathir together with the police launched an operation he said was necessary to defuse racial tension that had reached "dangerous proportions". He said that

2500-507: Was the second largest mass arrest in Malaysian history involving the ISA since the 13 May riots 18 years earlier. It also involved the revoking of the publishing licenses of two dailies, The Star and the Sin Chew Jit Poh and two weeklies, The Sunday Star and Watan . The Malaysian government argued that racial tensions had reached a dangerous level within the country, forcing the government to arrest those responsible for stoking

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