Following some proposals to run full-page advertisement in newspapers about TM Net deceiving services (throttling, high latency, packet-loss, terrible customer service, etc.), I contacted The Star to know about their pricing.

A full-page ad (37cm x 8cols) in The Star costs RM 15230 to RM 15540 depending on the day of publication.

This is very possible to finance. It would require a thousand people shelling out RM15 each. Only 500 persons @ RM31 each.

Comparatively to Streamyx's fees, that only represents 20 to 45% of a month's subscription fee. That's little money to bring public attention on the problems we are facing.

Reading through this forum, I can see people have been very angered by TM Net and are willing to put efforts in the balance to get their rights respected.

Well, this is a very good opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.


To get this started, we need to:

- choose a treasurer to collect and manage the funds
- designers to come up with advertisement mockups
- copywriters to work on the wordings. We need catchy text, easily comprehensible (no technical jargon), stay on focus), facts, no rumor.
- anyone help to review and discuss about the advertisement itself.

Anyone is welcome. If you have no free time, consider financial contribution. If you have no money, contribute to the design, text, reviews, etc.

Please give your opinion, thanks!

Ced

First of all... you will need a legal advisor...

What do you hope to accomplish by publishing that?

Ced, I know you have much much effort in gathering this. But are you even certain that The Star will publish this? Bear in mind they will be responsible for the reaction from the whole Malaysia and TM themselves. Not to mention that they have government censorship.

I wonder if TheStar allow your advertisement?

Should I assume you're applying for the position? I'm happy to hear

I think it's high time we get such a plan started. TM Net's bullshit has been lasting for too long. Anyone's help would be a step in the right direction.

i'm a final year LLB student. if u need a legal adviser let me know. libel and defamation are still fresh in my mind (kinda ).

Yes, such a concerns are legitimate. That's why we need to be careful when designing our advertisement; present facts, no personal opinion or rumor. Each word is important. The purpose of the ad is to bring public awareness and media coverage about a problem affecting many people.

In no way this ad should be use to as a vendetta. This is pointless, wouldn't help our cause and, as you mentioned it, would cause legal problems.

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Added on July 26, 2007, 11:42 pmThat would be great! Thanks for your support.

This post has been edited by Ced: Jul 26 2007, 11:42 PM

I will gladly fork out RM15/week if this can somehow improve the damm service~ let the whole of Malaysia see including foreigners (or foreign media for that matter)~

i don't think the star would published this ads. they will get sued by tm net, both of u

this is a very bad idea.

1 - we are after all malaysians.
2 - there is freedom of speech, but there is NO FREEDOM AFTER SPEECH
3 - The star will publicate anything as long as there is a valid contact person/number. details of yourself must be given, and if a case arises, would you be willing to stand for it even if there are 300 virtual people in here behind you ?
4 - this is what redesign malaysia is for. if you need a voice, join redesign malaysia. click on the search link for them.
5- LLB ???? you are not a member of the BAR council. you have almost no experience. understandably you have no right mind yet to aid someone who's attending to legal matters yet alone represent them in anything ? (not a mockery but sound advice)
6 - 15k may seem like a small amount, pertaining to an ad that would be seen by 20m people, noted by 200k people, understood by 20k people. an ad definitely not worth displaying for at the moment. arguably, whoever has streamyx most likely has complaints. but streamyx penetration in the market is relatively low.
7 - malaysians do not look down upon malaysians, even malaysian companies. we try to rectify what we can, resolve things as best we can. i for one, do not want foreigners to look into those ads. we are not incompetent. they (TMNet) may be stupid and dumb, but i rather they grow than to let someone foreign step in.

i understand your goodwill, all of you, but there are other better alternatives and i strongly encourage to join redesign malaysia. its a good option to share ideas and share your miseries of tmnet.

btw - streamyx sux and so does atlas one.

Well, the bottom line of such an action is bring publicity to a matter that is not considered as important enough by relevant authorities and simply dismissed by TM Net (we all got their denial bullshit, didn't we?).

It's not the best solution and I do not put this forward as mean to fix all our problems. It is just one option to put pressure on TM Net and bring wider attention on the matter in the HOPE (and I insist on that word) that it will spark interest by relevant authorities to enforce customers' rights.

Because beyond the technical problems we face with TM Net (latency, packet-loss, slow connection..), the worse is their handling of our complaints. It can be sum up in one word: denial. As a customer, we cannot accept this.

Back to the ad itself, we do not have to mention TM Net. It is entirely possible design the advertisement without naming them (if that is the concern). With appropriate wording, we can still deliver the same message, and stay on target, without mentioning any company's name.

The advertisement doesn't need to look like an ad either. It's perfectly fine to run an article in an ad placeholder. However, there must be a clear mention that the article is itself an advertisement.

I agree with you about Redesign Malaysia and I support their efforts. This however doesn't mean any side action cannot be undertaken.

This post was primarily to test water, to know is enough support can be gathered for an community-funded advertisement campaign.

Many people, you included, have mentioned legal hazards that may arise from such a proposal. I take good notice of these. But it is important to understand that the purpose is not to bash TM Net or anyone. It's to inform people of the reality of broadband access in Malaysia, its shortcomings and the lack of good willing from ISPs to improve their service. If we stay focused on our goal, there's no more legal concerns to have than any journalist would have by writing on any subject.

Now this bring me to my last point: I do not know the level of freedom the press has in this country, for the simple fact that I am not malaysian and haven't lived in the country long enough to tell.

I spent my life in various countries around the world. And while I'm still young (at least I like to think I am), I've been able to get broad experience working in the IT industry in europe, south america, australia and, before arriving here, in Hong Kong. The conclusion I can draw on Malaysia, as far as business is concerned, is not that malaysians are any less competent than the next guy, but is a lack of good and efficient management. Too often I have seen people wasting their time following non-optimal procedures, working with inadequate tools. This is where Malaysia needs to improve. This is why the country is not as advanced as it could have been. Singapore's success is not just because of their reduced size. To end on a personal note, I think you should not decline foreign help or advice. I, myself, learned a lot from foreign experience and there is no shame to have about it.

I am willing to pay........

so... just let me know when to pay

I will be willing to pay as well. Count me in!

You too. Me three.

here's the question: how can we avoid fraud in-between?

someone could run away with our money, scammers would love to see this thread thrive.

No sacrifice, no victory.
No action, no reaction.

This is why many of us here are failures
WE. JUST. DON'T. TAKE. ACTION.

If Ced is trustable. I might eat cheap stuff for 15 days to help you

It's not like tmnet has the right to sue you if all the contents in the advertisement is very accurate and doesn't show any immaturity actions like screamyx, steemyx, and etc.

1 more thing though. If problem occurs, LYN might be responsible for this action as well.
So be professional if you really want to do this.

This post has been edited by SeeD: Jul 27 2007, 07:31 AM

Of course this ad will be 'eye-opener' for everyone out there. But seems that TmNut giving internet for Newspapers companies.So, it maybe hard to this ad to be printed...

how about we team up with TMnut enemies? well, Tmnut is not THE ONLY ONE ISP in Malaysia..

get it?

It's not a wise action to do so

Just a question Ced,

Are you ready for the consequences after you done all the things?
I might said, Malaysia do have law, but if something do happen to your close relatives, or friends, or even parents, that's too late to regret whatever things that you've made.

Think before you act.

Money is not a problem, but the consequences is the matter that you need to solve out first. If you do have so many monies to do this, I rather beg you to donate this money to the poor, to those unluckies ones.

"Malaysian's Unofficial Policies"
You tak suka, Jangan Buat lah!!!
Kalau Mahal, Jangan Beli!!

I'm f---ing starving. Donate to me.

No, I say we are all starving. Look at us, to have and have not. We pay for a service, but the money goes to the ones who care only for profits and f--- all else. Who are poorer, as a nation? We are.

This post has been edited by Bad Cyborg: Jul 27 2007, 10:00 AM

in my opinion, this ad will not causing trouble coz we are a customer who paid nearly rm100 every month (if you sum internet +phone line) for unreliable service. Much more, we r the customer whu been bully by monopolize ISP.
Others can say..why subscribe?, kalau tak mahu jangan langgan lah,and some other things, but bear in mind, internet now is a must in every home now,just like the television started years back ago..

ok..lets say the ad already publish,and malaysian boomed with this news. R Tmnut will going to sue the publisher?
i dont think so,coz every word in Tmnut ad in the tv are lie...such as:

1. online games (most of the online game now cannot be played coz to laggy)
2. download music (true, but now without p2p we must use http based download like rapidshare which is u must reconnect for each download to get new IP)

so,will the TMnut sue the ad publisher although they r the ones who started to lie??

This post has been edited by kur8cobain: Jul 27 2007, 12:08 PM

Well, if things which are done are PROPER, and it's LEGAL, and you've thought of all the CONSEQUENCES, then, just GO FOR IT. It's all about taking CALCULATIVE RISKS. If you've done your homework, don't let other's dissuade you from doing it. Malaysians are all too used to 'No action, talk only'. If we had the wrong mindset, we wouldn't have got our independence.

Not sure for that, but you can try 1st and let us know the results.. haha Jk. I'd terminated my Streamyx account coz it sucks big time after 2 years. Back to the old Prepaid 1515 and it really saves me a lot of money/mth. I only use my company Streamyx coz they dunno how to fully utilize it. hahahaha

Hey..its not me whu started this ad idea,,im just giving my opinion about the consequences if the ad published...

just make big banner and gantung it in front of TMNUT HQ :

Im ready to fork out 50 bucks for this! Let's have some kinda petition!

Perhaps if we had the right mindset, we wouldn't care too much for our independence...

And more ontopic, I seriously doubt a petition or these ads will actually accomplish much. Waste of money. If you want your Bleach #790 or One piece #65535 just go buy some VPN services or whatever.

This post has been edited by Slowpoke: Jul 27 2007, 03:09 PM

My advice = get some up coming hot shot politician to do this ..they love this kind of action ...champion the underdogs ...

though the ad will not do much , but it will a message to the top management that we are mean business and after couple of time full page ..the cabinet might step in

This post has been edited by heroes99: Jul 27 2007, 03:13 PM

I can partly agree your suggestion. This way, you can save a lot lot of moneys. Go find some politicans to "campur tangan" and I'm sure every newspaper will come to give u a free advertising. It's only a waste of time and money if you said compile all money and advertise. How long can you advertise? a year? Kept them money for better future. I bet that does better than doing such thing as advertising.

Whether you want to do it or not, get ready for the consequence after you've done something and don't regret it. There's much more people out there need financial supplies. Many rich people not a givers. Try to open today's The Star newspaper and see the topic with something like Discard poverty.

Sueing is ok, advertising is shit. You want advertise, go do your own banner and photostat with your whole assets and do the advertising, I bet that's more effective than newspaper.

why don't you guys just strike in front of the TM tower? Worst case scenario is you guys will be caught by the police....

TmNet Announcement : Due to unfortunate circumstances which happened in front of Tmnet office. There will be service interuption for XX and XX areas.
We Appologize for the inconvenience caused.

How about all of us wearing T-shirt written "TMNet lousy service provider"? We have a gathering near TMNet's booth at KLCC PC Fair.

Your a one post member .... you don't have much background here and you could just be anyone ? You don't quite inspire much confidence

Don't get me wrong, i hate tmnut as much as the next person but....

What happens if you pocket the money and run ? i rather trust a regular then some newbie that just joined, my 50 cents


PS: i would also be wary since the gov recently announced the death to freedom of speech on the internet especially for bloggers. If you put in the ad defaming tmnut they could possibly sue you for defamation o_O; ....

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Jul 27 2007, 09:58 PM

Get it?

the only is, How can the heck we trust the "treasurer" that is choosen? Scammers everywhere. Later come out this lari money then baru complain here and there.

Someone with a special TAG.

Hey guys,

Going to reply your concerns as well as throwing a few more thoughts in the debate.

Very important point. That's why I'm not going to impose myself as the treasurer (furthermore I don't think I'm the right person since I'm actually not a malaysian citizen). Anyway, the treasurer needs to be a respectable, known figure within the community. If an association, such as redesign malaysia for instance, could back this initiative, that would help establish needed trust to raise funds. Is there actually any customer right's activist or association in this country?

That's correct. As I mentioned it before, if we come up with an ad, it must be professional. Professionally written and appealing design. No point going through all these efforts to publish rants.

That's a very good suggestion. We shouldn't limit ourselves to just one action. Let's not forget our primary goal here is to get as much publicity about the problem as possible.

Running a full-page advertisement in a mainstream newspaper is one option. Get politicians to join in to support customer's rights is another one that we should not exclude. It's actually complementary if we want to go further than just making noise about the issue. It also has that "double effect", as you said, to bring free coverage from the media. It's a free option moreover, but we need network here. We need to get in contact with such a politician, one that is willing to fight for its compatriots rights.

I would be eager to support this action as well. Public protest during a major gathering is a good way to draw people and media attention. Wear tshirt, bring big signs, distribute brochures, welcome people to sign a petition. That's the kind of action the media would be very likely to report on. Now, it's not about messing with TM Net's booth or disturbing the event, but doing it with respect. We want more people to support us, not be against us, right?

Sometimes you have to stand up for your rights, and not let others bully you. Anyway, any action to be taken has to be smart. No defamation, keep it to facts, raise questions, do not draw conclusions.


Anyway, we are not bound to just one action, but we need to join our force and get something done, else nothing will change. I think all your concerns are legitimate. Nothing prevents us from starting gradually. Let's get petitions and demonstration running first, if it can build confidence within the community. If anyone knows journalists, let's try to get our stories in the media, but I'm talking about a real article here; investigation journalism, not a couple of paragraphes quickly threw in to fill in a page.

Actually the whole Malaysian has already ackowledged about Streamyx performance. Nothing can be done becoz they rule (price wise) the fixed-line broadband market, for now.

Actually, not true, only a very small portion of Malaysian realize about this. Some times ago i have ranted about how sucks Streamyx is after a department meeting (~40+ ppl), but everyone was like "oh yea?" "Ya keh?" "Yes ah?"

You get my vote for the ad.

hmm... agreed. I even buzz around regarding this Streamyx issue and some ppl (politician) fight against me.

if that is the case, let us blast emails to everyone that we know about how bad the service is. Spread the words guys. And after that? The cheapest broadband in Malaysia is still Streamyx .

Lai get it to work. Someone design the ad?

I have to agree with this, there's a time when you can and can't say something in this country. As this being on a national scale with huge impact, and the agencies involved including the higher powers are here as well. I am for improvement and all, but this isn't a way to go about with it, as it won't bring any good outcomes in the end.

I like some of the ideas in Redesign Malaysia. Its a good proper channel for stuff to work. Humiliate one and they will always strike back with venom.

But it would be funny if we had a full page on the news paper...

Remember that memorable one where at the back of the newspaper all in black with the football logo and it had RIP.

Now that really took your attention heh.

ya...works nicer with the coming pilihan+raya....

now thats a dam good idea....

let's not talk only, go for it!

http://www.petitiononline.com/bbb4my/petition.html

Can anyone tell me how old this petition is and if it has been submitted to the media? I couldn't find any mention of it anywhere.

I was considering setting up a new petition. Two reasons to do so:

- have a "support for protest" to get media coverage (it is much easier to get the press to write on TM issues if we have thousands of people backing a complain, instead of just one person making noise)
- estimate the financial viability of a newspaper ad.

Another thought on the ad: it can be the petition itself, or we can build an ad around the petition (i.e. "10000 people have expressed their concerns about TM Net poor service. We, the undersigned, no longer want promises, we demand actions." That can be followed by all the petition signatures ala Firefox ad in the Times -or not if you guys don't want it-, concise bullet list of major issues with the service).

Anyone willing to help, please pm me. thanks.

Here's an idea, Google Websense ads.

If you do your research carefully, and write:



This is not defamation and you cannot lose in court.

It is is very important to use facts, to stay away from subjective language, to be crystal clear in what you are describing, how you know it is true, and why it is unacceptable. Not only does it protect you from libel suit, but it makes a persuasive case that TMnet cannot possibly rebut.

honestly, here too many TM spies... i would love to see this happen, but im highly skeptical

after 3 pages, they only know how to talk. do they have enough testicular fortitude for action or they only know how to talk themselves to death?

Agree, have they ever consider that the opposition might sue them for misleading, brand damaging and etc?

IMO, You need qualified, certified professional to prove you are right in each statement you claim.

I find it funny that the ones who complains nothing has yet been done are the same who haven't done anything so far.

Going down the road takes time, especially if we want it to be a success. Sorry to deceive you, but I'm not going to rush things and jeopardize this initiative as a result.

Once again, I want to make it clear: there won't be any defaming information published. We'll keep it to facts, we won't draw any conclusion either, but raise questions. Read again my previous posts if you want to know more.

---

Added on July 30, 2007, 10:46 pmThat's a very good idea. I like how the problem is layed out, it's concise and clear. The only drawback I see, would be to perform such a survey. To generate these statistics, we must use the same methodology for each sample, which pretty much means we need deploy tools and human resource over the sampled area. Or... we need guinea-pigs and a good set of instructions

---

Added on July 31, 2007, 11:46 pmAnyone willing to help, please PM me so that I start a workgroup and add you to it.

First tasks will be to launch a petition to measure TM Net unpopularity, list grievances, gauge financial viability of the ad, and come up with design and copy writing drafts for it.

This post has been edited by Ced: Jul 31 2007, 11:46 PM

Typical Malaysian mentality...

---

Added on August 4, 2007, 10:21 amI'm just wondering, the last time I heard of Redesign Malaysia was in a computer magazine. Even when it appeared in the newspaper, it appeared in InTech section of TheStar. I was just wondering, of all the time it existed, what is its impact and what are its accomplishments?

This post has been edited by coyouth: Aug 4 2007, 10:21 AM

redesign malaysia is good. There are many from lowyat forums. Impact alot. accomplishments alot. Knowledge given also alot.
best to see foryourself. head on over to their website. This is lowyat's forum. u wont get much info from here as u get over there. I always believe if you wanna know something bout someone, juz ask that someone instead of going elsewhere to ask.
Its like asking a honda showroom saleperson bout a toyota car.

Althought I like and support redesign malaysia efforts, their initiatives are not comparable. From what I can grasp from their website (I'm no insider), their efforts are mostly directed to internet access in malaysia as a whole. They keep people up to the date with fresh news, list ISPs, have a nice service coverage map, present problems encountered with some ISPs and... well, that's pretty much all they do (or they fail to communicate about their other initiatives).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing them in any way. But their efforts are pretty limited when it comes to port the debate outside of the internet. To me, they are only listing problems and giving some advices. We need to go further and bring the problems to the masses, to the general public. Get more media coverage, launch initiatives that demands action from the relevant parties (ISPs, government, etc.). So far, all we got are promises, and that's the heart of the problem.

I haven't seen any list of grievances, any clear manifestation from subscribers to stand for their rights. All I can find is isolated people complaining about ISP, mostly as rants. That's not going to help, unfortunately. If we want things to change, there is only one way to succeed: we need to unite, to join our forces and speak as one.

I proposed one initiative. Some people liked it, others didn't. Well, that's not the most important, we're not tight to a specific action if it doesn't attract a compromise between us. However, it's high time to do something, build the foundation for further actions and get our rights respected.

What I propose to do is:

- first create an association (speaking as an association will give us much more credibility -being more realistic, it'll start as a group, but we should aim to make it an official association)
- limit this association/group to a specific target/problem (we can expand later as we grow). I think limiting it to TM Net is a good start.
- get affected people to join the association as a member.
- list, in the form of a petition, all affected persons, _as well as_ their grievances (that's very important)
- send out press release about the petition to all media (press, radio, television). I've found 2 such petitions so far but none of them were actually sent to the media, they only collected signatures, which is pretty much useless.
- plan actions, such as booth or distribution of brochure during popular events such as the PC Fair.
- and more as we grow.

But one essential thing to remember: if no one wants to join in and help, nothing will happen.

For the ones wondering what happened to that newspaper full-page advertisement proposal, well it's on stand by since no one join in. Can't put up a community initiative if no community is being formed. One person doesn't make a community just by himself.

I for one salute you in coming up with this idea, which I think is a very good one. It brings nationwide exposure, and will be discussed about everywhere simply because it is out of the ordinary, challenging, controversial, and it has the 'stick it to the man' attitude which everyone loves. I salute you for trying to do something instead of just complaining to deaf ears like almost everyone here (me included). I suspect you not being Malaysian has something to do with this

We can see from some of the responses here that there are those who are totally afraid of the gov. They govt will win if everyone has that chickenshid mentality.

I think if this is done right, it will be a win for the Malaysian citizens. With all that said however, I do doubt the Malaysian press will be willing to print the ad, as I know the media here has their balls held to tightly by the govt. Its ridiculous how the govt can just dictate to the press on what they can or cannot print, best example is the recent Najib remark on Malaysia being an Islamic state. Even the letters, sms and feedback column could not print the rakyats view on this matter.

Anyhow, I'm willing to support financially. My salutes to you again

In this case, its not the govt.

TM Group spends a few million a year on print ads. Broadcast ads too, if you include the Media Prima stations. The media groups are not going to accept a few thousand RM worth of your ads and then lose the entire TM business because of one or two insertions of your ads.

Then again, you might wonder who is playing golf with whom.

Ced: Josh here from RedesignMalaysia. Glad that a few of you like what we're doing, much appreciated.

I think we have similiar goals and thoughts in mind,

I first mooted the idea of having a media campaign at the beginning of the year 2007:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=411558&hl=
http://www.redesignmalaysia.com/2007/01/15...nd-in-malaysia/

I'll love to contribute where I can. In the meantime, I'm using Advertlets for awareness, out of my own expense (you'll see these ads currently running on blogs using the Advertlets.com platform for advertising - yes, I also own Advertlets, but bloggers don't run the ads for free ) See them below:





One of the more recent RedesignMalaysia ads got 460 clicks, in only two days. This was for the "Did you know there are more than 16 different ISPs in Malaysia?"

In fact, we could probably run an "open invitation" ad, <b>where we invite people to donate to buy media, like what you mentioned.</b>

I'll be happy to assist with publicizing the initiative through Advertlets, sponsoring some cash, as well as helping to buy the media (I can get the prices for various media, including newspapers).

However, something we need to think about, as pointed out by the65thsquare - the larger media agencies might not run the ad for obvious reasons. We might need to resort to giving out flyers and stickers. Thinking out of the box, even wearing a T-shirt with some useful info might help. Other media to consider: video screens, posters, Google Adsense, banners that bloggers can put on their site, outdoor media (eg billboards).

Having said that though, even getting this initiative off the ground could resort in some media attention. Imagine the headline "1000 Malaysian Tech Enthusiasts Buy Ad Space To Protest The Lack Of Proper Broadband Facilities". Of course, we need a better title than that, that's too long. Haha.

coyouth: Its been a year since RedesignMalaysia launched, and yes, some people question what its actually doing. We don't have a media budget, but we've managed to get on NTV7 (The Breakfast Show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptgXooZNg7Q), The Edge (http://readthisurl.com/josh+redesignmalaysia), and of course Surf Magazine and In Tech, and the New Straits Times.

Right now we're focusing on media awareness, and you'll be surprised what our primary channel is - search engines.

http://www.redesignmalaysia.com/presskit/infocard.pdf

Check out the search terms that we are optimized for. Search accounts for a lot of our traffic, and primarily, our aim is to help people who are looking for that kind of information, by existing in the first place. We aim to do some real life campaigning soon, especially since we are coming to the first anniversary of the site (it was launched 31 August 2006). We're also in the process of putting together a detailed manifesto, so all contributions are welcome.

Just so you know, the blogging is done by mainly me, scamboy is also a contributing editor, and the rest of the back end work is handled by my company at my own cost (hiring interns, customizing wordpress, compiling data, etc). There is no funding for this project, and it does cost us quite a bit actually. The ISPs listed in the ISP section are not paying a cent at the moment. Thankfully though, its opened doors for us to meet various ISPs and even government agencies, so hopefully one day one of those discussions will result in something fruitful.

Having said all this though, I started RedesignMalaysia to accomplish a goal - make broadband here better, and I can't do it alone. I propose we all meet up to discuss this further, to see how we can contribute in our various ways. Cheers.

besides paying this ads
i want us to make complaints to MCMC
filed a class law suit
and consumer tribunal too
we need an opposition party to help us

You don't get my point. Besides their website(which you are pointing me towards as well) or maybe a few geeks out there who constantly shout on their behalf, I don't see any impact from them. Ask any Internet user on the street and they most probably haven't even heard of them before. JoshLim mentioned in the previous post that they're concentrating on media coverage now. Well, hopefully that would help them in their goals.

P.S. I know there will die-hard fans out there who will "shoot me" for commenting against them. They may say things like, "Why don't you give your support instead of complaining!". I'm just stating the obvious. If you don't agree with me, it's fine with me, we can leave it as that or you can go check out yourself. Maybe you can ask any member in your family(who uses the Internet of course) whether they've heard of Redesign Malaysia...

This post has been edited by coyouth: Aug 10 2007, 02:38 PM

Hey Josh,

I will get back to you as soon as I got some free time. I think we can do a lot together. Broader media coverage is the key, let's work on that.

It's good to see some people do take the initiative

This news has nothing that directly deals with our topic but just to let you all see how our government can get their priorities wrong as law is quite a tricky affair.

DAP: Get it right
Failing to carry MyKad more serious than beating up a person ridiculous
Ng Kee Seng
PETALING JAYA (Aug 10, 2007): Is failure to carry an identity card a more serious offence than causing voluntary hurt? It is if the punishments provided for in the Penal Code (PC) are used as the yardstick.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the ridiculous state of these sections of the law should be reviewed and amended.

If your leave home and forget to take along your MyKad, and if you are unable to produce the card when asked by a policeman, you are liable to a jail term of up to three years or a fine of between RM3,000 and RM20,000, or both.

Beat up someone and under Section 323 of the PC of voluntarily causes hurt, the offender is only liable to imprisonment for one year or a fine of RM2,000, or both.

Lim suggested that such heavy penalties for failing to carry the MyKad should be reduced to a maximum fine of RM500 and/or one week's jail.

He also said the police should get their priorities right in crime prevention and enforcement.

"Instead of spending too much efforts in going after people who fail to carry their MyKad, or a student for allegedly insulting the government via the internet overseas, they should be catching robbers and rapists who are terrorising neighbourhoods," he added.

Lim was commenting on the two recent cases:

> Jeff Lee Kwong Yong,19, who was arrested on Jan 31 for failing to produce his IC to a policewoman in Kuala Lumpur. Lee could not raise the RM1,000 bail and had to serve six months seven days in prison; and

> The threat by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum that the police would act against the Malaysian student in Taiwan, who used Negaraku in a Mandarin rap video clip shown on YouTube in the internet. Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Dr Rais Yatim said he would would ask the Attorney-General Chambers to take action under the National Anthem Act.

Lim said: "In the second case, though Malaysians may disagree with his foul language and sentiments, the 24-year-old student from Muar (Wee Meng Chee) was exercising his freedom of expression. The essence of freedom of expression was captured by French philosopher Voltaire's famous words 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'"

He said both Harian Metro and MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai are guilty of moral hypocrisy, selective persecution and oppressing basic human rights.

"Johari must realise that Wee is not an opposition leader but only an ordinary student. Whether Wee had insulted the national anthem is subjective and the government has clearly lost direction if it has nothing better to do than to waste time on an ordinary student who have not harmed anyone.

"The DAP regrets MCA Youth is following Umno's line in insisting that Wee insulted the national anthem. Such sentiments are similar to Harian Metro's front-page story demanding action be taken because Wee's rap video insulted the national anthem, showed disrespect for the government and touched on the sensitivities of Muslims in the country.

"When has showing disrespect to the government become a criminal offence?" Lim asked.

"Further, if Harian Metro and Leow is so concerned about sensitivities of Malaysians, why do they not behave consistently by demanding that stern action be taken against others who had also provoked extreme hatred via the internet in the country. Police reports have been lodged but no action.

"There should be no double-standards where action is taken against postings allegedly labeled as seditious and false by the government but yet no action is taken against those posted elsewhere.

"Both Harian Metro and Liow are guilty of moral hypocrisy, selective persecution and oppressing basic human rights when calling only for action against those who are unhappy with government policies.

"The challenge is for both Liow and Harian Metro to prove that they are fair and uphold the rule of law by demanding similar action be taken against others, whoever and whatever position they may hold. Otherwise, they should not waste public resources and allow the police to concentrate on its main duty of combating rampant crime threatening our right to live, work, study and play in a safe and secure neighbourhood," he added.
Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=18930

M-Bit Network, that's the new gig positioned as the world's first next-gen peer-to-peer (P2P) experience in file search, file-sharing and super distribution through mobile networks.

Quite a mouthful, but that's the promise from Eugene Goh, CEO of MESDAQ-listed mTouche Technology Bhd (mTouche), which announced the pre-launch on April 9.

Currently, P2P technology has been limited to the sharing of content files stored in computers, over fixed-wired networks. So the launch of M-Bit Network is positioned as a significant milestone for mobile technologies.

However, users in Malaysia will have to wait out for service availability, which may take some time yet as the initial launch will be centered in the Japanese market--Perhaps Mobile Ojisan may help us keep a vigilant lookout!

M-Bit Network will be provided via mBit Pte Ltd, a subsidiary that is 60 percent owned by mTouche, together with Singapore-based N2N Consulting Pte Ltd.

"M-Bit Network is the first of its kind in the world because it allows the P2P sharing of content files between mobile phones and via transmission over wireless mobile networks," Goh said in a media release to this blogger.

For a start, the focus will be skewed toward buy-in from both handset manufacturers and mobile network operators from Japan and Korea, where "4th Generation (4G) mobile networks are said to be already established", giving the company a platform for the launch of M-Bit Network.

Primary target is Japan, one of the world's largest and most advanced mobile markets with a mobile population of more than 100 million subscribers.

"We aim to launch M-Bit Network with at least one major carrier in Japan by the end of 2007 with a target user base of 1 million subscribers, which is roughly 1 percent of the current mobile user population in Japan," Goh added.

It is understood that there will be a standard subscription fee in line with the average fee of mobile value-added services readily offered in Japan.

Being a regional key player in mobile messaging technologies and interactive media applications, mTouche intends to leverage the launch of M-Bit Network to further solidify its position as probably the world's
first global P2P Search and File Super Distribution network that works across both wireless and wired networks for Mobile Web 2.0, rich media and advertising services.

How mobile P2P works
In a nutshell, M-Bit Network users will be able to browse through music or video files stored on other mobile phones, besides downloading authorized files into their own handset. The user may even broadcast the content to a group of friends once he/she has obtained a new ready-to-share file.

Expect some smart functions, like one that cuts short the user's browsing time while searching in the vast sea of content stored in available handsets. Virally, it may develop into link-up opportunities for mobile advertising.

The enablers include an M-Bit Client software that facilitates the key features such as Share and Search, Download Manager, Group Manager, Podcasting, Presence and Chatting), and the M-Bit Control server which acts as a centralized tracking system for administrators to monitor files that are being downloaded or shared, for the obvious functions of reporting and billing.

A lot of thought has also been given to the intuitive features that you have grown to familiarize with in the P2P experience, for automatic resumption of a disrupted file download.

Another P2P minefield is the occurrence of "transaction time" that hogs the data channel on the operator's core network, which needs to be efficiently reduced. The other is the question of efficient bandwidth usage at the service provider's side. This is critical in ensuring faster, and even concurrent, file downloads from multiple P2P and HTTP sources.

As P2P experience has evolved tremendously over the years on the Web, it is equally critical for the system to command the ability to offload the load of the content servers by having more distributed sources. In a demanding market like Japan, and even China, concurrent downloads by the millions of a popular song or video will easily cripple servers and network infrastructure.

The other P2P "blackhole" vastly experienced in the Web-based file-sharing applications is the prevalence of malware, virus or illegal content. Apparently, Goh explained, M-Bit has paid due attentions to these challenges. For example, M-Bit Network has included the provision of a unique signature of any select file(s) transmitted to facilitate the filtering, identification and tracking of the content to mitigate those common problems.

For a start, industry endorsement coming the way of M-Bit Network looks rather promising. It was recently awarded the First Runner-up for 3rd Edition Challenge organized by Nokia and Macromedia during the Symbian Smartphone Show 2006 in London. Besides, it has been shortlisted as one of the three finalists for the first Asia Mobile Innovation Awards organized by GSM Association, and as a finalist in the Mobile Music and Innovator of the Year category in Forum Nokia Pro Awards 2006.

That's quite a bit of achievement for mTouche as it venturs beyond Malaysia.CNET ASIA
do u guys think will come true?

OLd Story.....



JOSH LIM,

U have my support!!!! Lets us all fight again this stupid useless blady company.

Their fixed line business should bankrupt years back, but they force streamyx users to subscribe to phone lines...
BLOODY HELL!!!!

They charge so high, they own the whole infrastructure and yet the have the WORST internet service in the country.

Wherever you go you will see Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx,Streamyx

MArketing damm good but service DAMM bad!!!

Dunno till when all this USELESS people in the company will get fired....I think daily they go to work, lay their ass, bark, then kutuk other staff, cheat customers then they go home.....

When next election ha??......

Ced, you have my vote!

Just leave those people who are skeptical or think this cant be done mindset in the corner. When no one are doing anything, someone will say "someone should do that" or "we need to do something" and now when someone is here to do it, who is not our citizen, for god sake, people started to question his idea.

I think the most suitable time to strike is on next Election. That is the time when all those leaders who will move their asses and suddenly becomes hardworking, well, until he get elected. Its about time we had enough of this crap for such a long time.

No vote for government if they still want to let TMnut taking our money with terrible services!

I agree.

Teaming up with redesign malaysia, and get as many people as possible to help. Advertising will be for later though, as we need to build solid foundation for any further action. I'm preparing a survey as well as a more refined petition, so that we can better measure the problems we are facing and popular support any action will require. Will post updates here when I can.

Speaking of the election, we definitely need to form a lobby group to sensitize politicians on internet access issues (and more globally, on consumer's rights protection). I'm sorry I have a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to malaysia politics. You help would be very valuable.

ced