Malay Tamil daily apologises to government

Singapore, Apr 18: Malaysian Tamil daily, Makkal Osai, has appealed against the government's decision to cancel its publication permit and apologised for its alleged failure in following the official guidelines.

''As far as we know, we adhered to all the conditions set by the ministry but if there was any violation on our part, we apologise,'' daily's General Manager S M Periasamy said. He submitted an appeal letter containing the apology to the Home Ministry in Putrajaya yesterday and hoped to meet Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar on Monday.

Last Wednesday, the Ministry rejected an application to renew the permit of Makkal Osai, which has a circulation of about 52,000 on weekdays and 95,000 on weekends.

Mr Albar said the paper did not follow the guidelines.

According to the ministry, the newspaper was reviewed on a yearly basis in terms of its contribution to society with regards to building a more united Malaysia and how ''we should portray moving forward in creating more unity, understanding and goodwill''.

Makkal Osai, renamed in 2005 after being published as Tamil Osai since 1981, upset the government by playing up reports in favour of the opposition political parties, especially after the March 2008 general elections.

UNI