Kuala Lumpur - A Malaysian man was fined 10,000 ringgit (2,680 dollars) Friday after he pleaded guilty to insulting the sultan of the northern state of Perak in comments on a website.

   Azrin Mohamad Zain, a 33-year-old lab assistant, admitted to a Sessions Court judge in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, that he had posted critical comments about Sultan Azlan Shah on his website last month.

   "I don't have much money, and I don't want to be jailed," Azrin was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

   "I hope I'm given a light sentence, and I promise never to get involved in these matters again," he told the judge.

   He faced a maximum 50,000-ringgit fine and one-year jail term.

   Public prosecutors had earlier asked for a heavy sentence as a "lesson" to other would-be offenders.

   Malaysia, which is known for its strict control of the media, has drawn a backlash for cracking down on online postings critical of the government.

   Last year, prominent anti-government blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin was detained under a security law that allows for indefinite detention without trial after he allegedly insulted Islam in one of his postings.

   He was released after two months.