THE media are at it again. Sensationalising the news, reporting inaccurately and unfairly, and worst of all, having no regard for the personal damage a report may have on a party. The latest of irresponsible and unethical reporting was in Kosmo!‘s 27 July 2009 edition that front-paged celebrated filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad who passed away from […]
Makkal Osai
Indira Gandhi’s search goes on
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananBETWEEN 27 April and 3 May 2009, the Tamil papers continued to devote space to M Indira Gandhi’s quest to get her daughter back from her estranged and Muslim-convert husband. The absence of Tamil-language classes in a local university, and land right issues involving the Catholic Church were also highlighted during the week. Hunt for […]
Not without my baby
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFOR the week of 20 to 26 April 2009, Tamil papers highlighted M Indira Gandhi’s continued struggle to get back her 11-month-old baby from her Muslim-convert husband. The papers also reported on the shares offered to Indian Malaysians by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), and the anger of Indian Malaysians, particularly Tamil Malaysians against India’s support […]
Conversion without consent
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananSTORIES that dominated the Tamil press for the week of 13 to 19 April 2009 continued to be about the conversion of children to Islam without a parent’s consent and a mother’s fight for these children. The Tamil press also looked at the neverending cycle of violence in the Indian Malaysian community. Forced conversion The […]
Rumblings in MIC
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFOR the week of 6 to 12 April 2009, the news in the Tamil press was almost the same as that in the English papers. Coverage was focused on the results of the triple by-elections and the announcement of the new cabinet. Where it differed was in the way the papers highlighted the MIC’s unhappiness […]
Baby converted to Islam
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFOR the week of 30 March to 5 April 2009, the stories that dominated the Tamil press were not unlike what the other publications focused on: Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s appointment as the nation’s sixth prime minister (PM). However, one issue that really got the Indian Malaysian community riled up was the controversial conversion of […]
Triumphant Samy Vellu
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFOR the week between 23 and 29 March 2009, Tamil papers highlighted the victory of Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu as the MIC president for a record 11th term. The Tamil dailies also reported a case of police brutality in Perak, and gave an insight into the plight of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Malaysia. […]
Ramasamy-Samy Vellu spat
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFrom 23 Feb to 1 March 2009, the Tamil press focused on, among others, the war of words between MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P Ramasamy from the DAP. War of words During the week, a fiery war of words erupted between Samy Vellu and […]
Kulim shootout
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananTHE week of 16 to 22 Feb 2009 started off with the Tamil papers highlighting the story of Elizabeth Wong, the Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson and Selangor executive councillor whose intimate pictures surfaced on the internet. But soon this story was pushed off the front pages thanks to the development of two events followed closely by […]
Death and the horrors of war
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananGLOOMY news dominated the Tamil papers for the week of 26 Jan to 1 Feb 2009. A Kugan’s death, the ongoing war in Sri Lanka, and the death of a young man in Chennai were widely discussed in the papers. Death in detention Like all other papers in the country, 22-year-old Kugan’s death while in […]
