RK Nathan J:

Facts

The 1st plaintiff was and is engaged in providing professional secretarial services and advice to clients and has been so engaged for twenty years and had acquired a good reputation and is believed to have a good clientele from the Chinese business community. The 2nd plaintiff an accountant and a chartered secretary was at all material times the managing director and the alter ego of the 1st plaintiff. The defendant is the foremost leading English daily in Malaysia with a very wide circulation.

On 17 July 2001 the defendant published in a daily the following news:

Director charged with four counts of forgery

A company director claimed trial at the Sessions Court today to four counts of forgery by using false resolutions three years' ago. Tan Phaik Tin, 41, from J. Heng Consulting Services (M) Sdn Bhd, was charged with fraudulently using a false Directors' Circular Resolution Driall (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd dated Nov 5, 1998, as an original' document while knowing it to be forged between Nov 5, 1998 and Nov 13, 1998. For the second and third charge, she was alleged to have committed a similar offence between June 1, 1998 and June 2, 1998 and between June 3, 199