Malaysia seeks explanation over German funds to NGO

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the funding could be "seen as interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state" because the Malaysian government considers rights group Suaram to be politically-biased.

The German Embassy here has admitted contributing funds to Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Its ambassador to Malaysia, Guenter Georg Gruber, said the embassy funded project-specific initiatives.

"The project with Suaram was in 2010, which we had evaluated," he said, adding that he could not recall what the project was, and that "the amount (of funds) was limited".

 

The initial investigation by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) revealed the existence of fund transactions between Suara Inisiatif, which was registered under the Companies Act 1965, and Suaram, national news agency Bernama said.

CCM has been criticised by several NGOs for allegedly failing to act against Suaram which admitted to receiving funds from foreign countries, among others, Bernama added.