Malaysia media groups urge action after reporter allegedly assaulted over question

Media groups have urged Malaysia’s government to clamp down on acts of intimidation and violence by its officials, after a journalist was allegedly assaulted by the chief executive of a government-linked company over a question asked at a news conference.The incident has sharpened scrutiny of press freedom in the country, coming days after another journalist was detained under a colonial-era Sedition Act for asking a “sensitive question” at a public forum.In the latest case, the chief executive allegedly yanked the lanyard of a female reporter in anger over a question she had asked a minister during a news conference on Monday.The alleged altercation occurred after the minister had left and in full view of other reporters, according to the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM).It is understood the executive was unhappy that the question was unrelated to the event, even though the minister had responded to it.“Their action was clearly unreasonable and unprofessional, and goes against the principles of media freedom,” the NUJM said in a statement on Tuesday.