Thai army chief to visit Indonesia<\/p>\n
THAILAND: Thailand's army chief Gen. Somdhat Attanand will visit
\nIndonesia next week to discuss weapons smuggling with his
\nIndonesian counterpart, an army official said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Thailand's foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai visited
\nJakarta last week and met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
He told reporters afterward that there was no indication of
\narms smuggling from Thailand to Aceh, but said action would be
\ntaken against anyone involved in such a crime.<\/p>\n
Indonesia launched a major military operation in Aceh last
\nweek after last-ditch peace talks with the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) broke down.<\/p>\n
Gen. Somdhat, who took up his post late last year, will also
\nvisit Brunei during a four-day familiarization trip to both
\ncountries beginning on Tuesday. --AFP<\/p>\n
;DPA;KOD;
\nANPAu..r..
\nAglance-NewZealand-ship
\nRI crew going home after abuse on ship
\nJP\/12\/ASEAN<\/p>\n
RI crew going home after abuse on ship<\/p>\n
NEW ZEALAND: Six Indonesian crew members were taken off a
\nfreighter in New Zealand's port of Nelson on Wednesday after the
\nInternational Transport Workers Federation (ITF) said they had
\nbeen mistreated, underpaid and underfed.<\/p>\n
One of them told Radio New Zealand the crew had been given
\nwater drawn from the Panama Canal to drink while the captain's
\ndog had mineral water.<\/p>\n
Local ITF coordinator Kathy Whelan escorted the six
\nIndonesians off the Korean-owned motor vessel Wisteria, which
\nflies the Panamanian flag, and said they would be flown home on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
She said the federation, which discovered \"gross mistreatment\"
\nof the crew in routine inspections as it loaded export fruit in
\nNew Zealand ports, had obtained back pay totaling US$20,000 for
\nthe crewmen who were leaving.<\/p>\n
She said 13 other crew members, who were from Myanmar,
\nremained on the ship and were too frightened to speak to the ITF
\nfor fear of consequences when they returned home. --DPA<\/p>\n
;AFP;KOD;
\nANPAu..r..
\nAglance-RP-MILF-truce
\nMILF separatists offer 10-day truce
\nJP\/12\/ASEAN<\/p>\n
MILF separatists offer 10-day truce<\/p>\n
PHILIPPINES: Muslim separatists declared on Wednesday a 10-day
\nunilateral cease-fire from next week to give peace talks a chance
\nto resume in the troubled southern Philippines, 12 days into a
\ncampaign of punitive strikes ordered by President Gloria Arroyo.<\/p>\n
Arroyo in a statement welcomed the Moro Islamic Liberation
\nFront (MILF)'s offer as \"a positive and welcome development\", but
\nurged them to do more by complying with an earlier government
\ndemand to turn over suspected bombers and cut links with terror
\ngroups.<\/p>\n
MILF military chief Murad Ebrahim signed the cease-fire
\ndeclaration, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said. It would start on
\nJune 2 to give MILF field commanders enough time to receive and
\ncomply with the order, he added.<\/p>\n
Kabalu said the decision was in response to an \"earnest call\"
\nfrom the dominant Roman Catholic Church as well as other peace
\nadvocates for an end to fighting in the Mindanao region. --AFP<\/p>\n
;AP;KOD;
\nANPAu..r..
\nAglance-Malaysia-resigns
\nKL transportation minister resigns
\nJP\/11\/ASEAN<\/p>\n
KL transportation minister resigns<\/p>\n
MALAYSIA: Ling Liong Sik, a long-time ally of Prime Minister
\nMahathir Mohamad and a former political boss from Malaysia's
\nChinese minority, resigned from the Cabinet on Wednesday, ending
\na ministerial career spanning more than 17 years.<\/p>\n
His retirement as transportation minister is part of a
\nchanging of the political guard in the Southeast Asian nation and
\ncomes ahead of Mahathir's scheduled stepping down in October.<\/p>\n
Ling's departure from Malaysia's tough political scene had
\nbeen widely anticipated. Five days ago Ling stood down as leader
\nof the Malaysian Chinese Association -- the largest party in the
\nruling coalition after Mahathir's -- to defuse a long-running
\nfactional dispute.<\/p>\n
The Chinese party's leadership change, in which Ling's deputy
\nalso quit, was part of a deal brokered by Mahathir to end
\ninfighting that had threatened to tarnish the entire coalition.
\n--AP<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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