Satire group banned in Malaysia

By Jonathan Kent BBC, Kuala Lumpur

The authorities in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, have banned the country's leading satirical theatre company from the city.

Television and film in the Muslim-majority country is regularly censored, but until now comedy theatre had been largely unrestricted.

Action was taken after the company refused to make sweeping last-minute changes to their performance.

There are precious few chances to laugh at the more ludicrous contradictions in Malaysian life, but the Instant Cafe Theatre Company provided perhaps the best.

Even the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, has been to see previous performances.

But humour is in short supply at Kuala Lumpur's city hall.

After a letter to a national paper complained that the performance was rude, officials demanded changes to the script.

They ordered the removal of all references to government policies, government agencies and mention of any person dead or alive.

It would not have left much to laugh about, so when the actors continued regardless, they received a fine and the ban.

The show was trying to raise money to repair a theatre wrecked when an underground shopping mall flooded last month.

Ironically, the flood happened because Kuala Lumpur City Hall had failed to maintain the pumps in the complex.

The last laugh, however, may be at the city's expense.

Many of the cars in the shopping mall's car park belonged to senior lawyers and judges working at the courts nearby, and they are said to be determined to make the city pay for its incompetence.