Blast puts S'poreans off RI: Poll
Blast puts S'poreans off RI: Poll
SINGAPORE: Six in 10 Singaporeans who were eager to visit Indonesia before last month's bomb blast on the resort island of Bali now say they will avoid the country, a poll showed on Monday.
They will also stay away from the Philippines, but most still consider Thailand and Malaysia to be safe destinations, The Straits Times survey found.
The Oct. 12 terrorist attack has also prompted Singaporeans to be more concerned about security.
One in three queried now discusses security threats with friends and family. One in six avoids crowded places that may be terrorist targets. --DPA
;REUTERS;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Cambodia-famine Nearly 700,000 Cambodians short of food - WFP JP/11/ASEAN
About 700,000 Cambodians short of food
CAMBODIA: A freak combination of severe droughts followed by floods in the last six months has left more than half a million Cambodians short of food for the rest of the year, the United Nations said on Monday.
The tiny Southeast Asian nation, which is still recovering from three decades of civil war, suffered a serious drought in April, followed by floods in August and September, the height of the rainy season.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) said weather patterns in the region were becoming increasingly unpredictable and the lack of adequate irrigation in the deeply impoverished country meant farmers struggled to cope with the growing climatic extremes.
This year, farmers in some provinces lost two rice planting seasons in a row and 6,500 tonnes of food is now needed over the next five weeks to help 670,000 people in the worst affected districts, the UN food aid agency said. --Reuters
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Malaysia-theft Tomb-raiders steal gems, anger Malaysian tribe: report JP/11/ASEAN
Tomb-raiders steal gems, anger tribe
MALAYSIA: Tomb-raiders have dug up tribal graves and stolen jewelry and other valuables buried with the dead in a Malaysian state, angering grieving families, a report said on Monday.
The robbers damaged 31 graves in three burial grounds of the Iban tribe in Sibu town, eastern Sarawak state, last week as they forced open coffins and scattered skeletal remains all over the grounds, The Star said.
Roseline Sanyak, 30, said the tomb of her grandmother who died five years ago was among those desecrated.
"The thieves took my late grandmother's gold necklace, bracelet, ring, four gold teeth and 300 ringgit (US$79) from her coffin," she told the daily. --AFP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Brunei-sex Brunei plans religious crackdown on promiscuity JP/11/ASEAN
Brunei plans crackdown on promiscuity
BRUNEI: Authorities in the oil-rich Islamic sultanate of Brunei plan to step up religious classes for children as a means of combating rising promiscuity.
Promiscuity in the tiny country, which has no significant nightlife, is now among the top three social problems, along with drugs and wife abuse, said Permanent Secretary for Culture, Youth and Sport Dato Haji Dani.
Births out of wedlock have escalated, with 778 babies born to unmarried teenage parents reported in a six-year period from 1997 to 2001, forcing authorities to mount a concerted effort to reverse the trend.
Previous measures, including those by the religious affairs ministry, to reduce teen promiscuity have not been successful.
Brunei is a tiny Southeast Asian country with a total population of just 340,000. --AFP