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
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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
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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
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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