As a media organisation that strongly believes in press freedom, malaysiakini maintains that legal action should be taken as the last resort. However, the situation has become alarming.

The allegations against malaysiakini , which is based on untruths and our purported link with international speculator George Soros, has resulted in accusations of the website serving the agenda of the perceived enemies of the state and that malaysiakini journalists are traitors. This has now led to death threats being issued against a member of the team.

Indeed, the website has been put under an undeserved cloud of rumour, suspicion, hatred and contempt through allegations of foreign interventions and harbouring an 'unpatriotic' agenda.

Which is why we have instructed our lawyers to take necessary legal action against those who have, and continue, to make unsubstantiated allegations against malaysiakini , to defend the reputation of the website and our journalists.

But who are the potential defendants? The following is a partial list:

Dr Mahathir Mohamad