Raja Petra takes down article that allegedly defames Jack Ma, Alibaba

(The Star) – Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin has taken down an article that allegedly sullied the reputation of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, following a cease-and-desist letter from China-based Alibaba Group.

In a post which went up after he had removed the earlier article, Raja Petra said he was prepared to give Alibaba the benefit of the doubt and promised never to repeat the story.

“If you insist that Ambiga Sreenevasan’s information regarding Jack Ma’s meeting with Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua is incorrect, then I am prepared to offer you the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

In the deleted post, Raja Petra had claimed that Alibaba founder Ma told the Finance Minister and Damansara MP that China allegedly no longer trusts Malaysia because the government was said to not honour agreements.

Alibaba later responded with a cease and desist note dated March 28, saying that the meeting between the three men did not happen, and Raja Petra had written false and defamatory statements.

The statement, which was signed by Alibaba vice-president and deputy general counsel Albert Yiu, also said Raja Petra’s article caused material damage to the character and reputation of Alibaba and Ma.