- McLibel -

Like franchiser, like franchisee

A lawyer for told an appellate court in Malaysia two days ago that there were no grounds in which to reduce the RM 7 million (approx US$ 1.5 million) damages awarded to a Malaysian businessman named Vincent Tan by the high court in his libel suit against a journalist, his editor amd its publisher because "it could send a wrong message to the people", giving them "a licence...to libel". Tan had sued the above defandants in defamation allerging that a story which appeared in the Malaysian Industry magazine was damaging to his reputation. As Malaysian libel laws mirror those in the UK (ie they are very strict) the high court had found the defandants liable for libel and awarded the above record damages.

Is it a coincidence then that this millionaire who is suing a freelance journalist and a small-time magazine is the same man whose group of companies currently hold the franchaise for McDonalds in Malaysia and who uses the media arm of his business, ie a national English daily called the Sun, to publicise McDonalds' so-called "charity" events ?

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