Book on 1969 race riots in Malaysia may be banned
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A new book that challenges the official cause of deadly 1969 racial riots in Malaysia may be banned if it is found to disrupt national harmony, officials said Wednesday.
The book, titled "May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969," was released Sunday by author Kua Kia Soong, who says the worst riots in Malaysia's 50-year history were not random acts of communal violence but a coup attempt by a faction within the ruling Malay party.
The book challenges the government's assertion that the violence, which claimed 196 lives, was due to tension between ethnic Malays and minority Chinese. The riots, which started May 13, 1969, and continued for weeks, led to a state of national emergency and suspension of Parliament until 1971.
Zailani Hashim, enforcement chief at the Internal Security Ministry, said officials seized 10 copies of the book from a bookstore chain on Tuesday to review its contents.
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The book, titled "May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969," was released Sunday by author Kua Kia Soong, who says the worst riots in Malaysia's 50-year history were not random acts of communal violence but a coup attempt by a faction within the ruling Malay party.
The book challenges the government's assertion that the violence, which claimed 196 lives, was due to tension between ethnic Malays and minority Chinese. The riots, which started May 13, 1969, and continued for weeks, led to a state of national emergency and suspension of Parliament until 1971.
Zailani Hashim, enforcement chief at the Internal Security Ministry, said officials seized 10 copies of the book from a bookstore chain on Tuesday to review its contents.