Defamation Law

One of the risk that bloggers facing is
the defamation law. There is one example where
the famous Malaysia blogger Jeff Ooi is sued by
NST during July 2007. Defamation to be exact
means the way of expressing your words which
may insult the other party in the public.Other than
that Mca Public Service and Complaints Department
head Datuk Michael Chong also filed a defamation
suit againts t Guang Ming Daily for publishing a report which allegedly referred him as"Ah Long King". The report also carried a meaning that he could not be trusted, a criminal, a liar and a dishonest person and not fit to head the MCA Public Service and Complaints Department, he said.
This happened during September 2007.

There are two types of defamation in Malaysia: libel and slander.

Libel is when such words are expressed in a permanent form which is usually visible to the eye, like in a book, e-mail or picture.
Slander is when such words are expressed in a temporary form, usually when spoken or made by body movements.

In civil cases of defamation, when a private person sues another private person for defamation, the Defamation Act 1957 is applicable.
In criminal cases of defamation, when the state prosecutes a private person for defamation, Section 499 to Section 502 of the Penal Code is applicable.