According to overseas media, the Kajang Observer, the newspaper run by Department of Media Studies for training purpose in New Era College Malaysia, failed to apply for renewal of its publication license due to its report on Falun Gong.

The publication license of the newspaper expires on June 30, 2012. In accordance with the Amendment to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 2012 adopted by the Parliament, licenses expiring after July 15, 2012 do not need renewal, while those expiring before the date are required for renewal. Therefore, the Kajang Observer need a renewal of its license to keep its legal status.

Yap Sin Tian, president of United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia and president of Dong Jiao Zong Higher Learning Centre Bhd, refused to sign the application document since the Kajang Observer released a report on a demonstration organized by Falun Gong organizations in its third volume in the semester beginning last March, which aroused aversion of Yap Sin Tian as well as other faculties and students of the college.

According to Kajang New Era Network (KNN), a campus news website, Yap Sin Tian confirmed that he refused to sign the application document because he was dissatisfied with the report released by the Kajang Observer on demonstration organized by Falun Gong organizations in the third volume of the newspaper in the semester beginning last March.

Mok Soon Chong, principal of the college, said in an interview by KNN that Yap Sin Tian planned to hold a director meeting to discuss the Kajang Observer’s report on Falun Gong as well as how to regulate on-campus publications. The Kajang Observer was not allowed to release any report on Falun Gong.

On the morning of August 24, ten members of a Falun Gong organization based in Malaysia (Falun Dafa Research and Practice Center) came to the New Era College, trying to publicize Falun Gong in the college. But they were driven out of the college by former director of general affairs Ko Bing Liyong, former standing committee members including Li Qingwen, Yang Jinglai, Qian Jingfa and deputy president Chow Siew Hon. These faculty members refused Falun Gong followers to enter the college, tore up their documents and ordered them to leave.

New Era College Malaysia was a tertiary institution established by Chinese community in Malaysia. The college is situated on a 8.5-acre piece of land located at Kajang, Selangor. The campus land was donated by the Hua Qiao School Trustees Board to Dong Jiao Zong Higher Learning Centre Bhd in 1974 for use as a tertiary-level education institution. Dong Jiao Zong Higher Learning Centre Bhd officially submitted the application for establishment of New Era College to the Ministry of Education in August 1994. Three years later, the College was approved by the Ministry of Education on May 28, 1997. The first intake of students at New Era College started their courses on March 1, 1998.