PHILIPPINES: Two members of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnapping

PHILIPPINES: Two members of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnapping group were captured in separate incidents in the Philippines, military officials said on Sunday.

Abdul Marayin, a founding member of the notorious group, was captured on Saturday in Lamitan on Basilan island after residents alerted authorities, Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya said.

Marayin helped found the Abu Sayyaf, which Washington and Manila have linked to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden.

He is believed to participated in the 1993 kidnapping of a Spanish priest and numerous other abductions, killings and acts of banditry in the southern Philippines.

Marayin was an aide of Abu Sayyaf founder Abdurajak Janjalani, killed in 1998, and is related to other Abu Sayyaf leaders, Abaya said.

Meanwhile in Manila, the military reported that intelligence agents on Friday nabbed Julisam Harum from a house just outside the Philippine capital.

It was not clear what Harum was doing in Manila, so far from the traditional Abu Sayyaf haunts in the southern islands of Basilan and Jolo. -- AFP

;DPA;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Malaysia-Accident Nine-year-old Malaysian boy kills sister in car accident JP/11/ASEAN Child kills sister in car accident MALAYSIA: A nine-year-old Malaysian boy who drove his parents' car without their permission accidentally rammed into his two sisters, killing one of them, a news report said on Sunday.

The boy's parents had briefly left the three children in the car at a residential area when the boy started the vehicle using the keys that had been left in the ignition, The Sunday Star newspaper reported.

At one point, the car lurched forward, slamming into the girls who had got out in front of the vehicle, the newspaper said.

No Iwani Rasyidah, 4, was rushed to a hospital, but died on the way from head injuries. Her 11-year-old sister suffered minor injuries, the report said. -- DPA

;AFP;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Singapore-security Singapore sets up new immigration agency to beef up security: rep JP/11/ASEAN S'pore sets up new immigration agency SINGAPORE: A new immigration agency will come into being next year aimed at beefing up Singapore's defense against the threat of terrorism, the Sunday Times reported here.

From April 1, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority will replace the existing Singapore Immigration and Registration agency and will bring 1,000 customs officers, now under the finance ministry, into the home affairs ministry, the report said.

"By bringing them into one department, we will be able to have better synergy, improve workflow and enhance border security which is the first line of defense in protecting our country," Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said on Saturday.

The new agency will have 3,000 officers.

Wong, who made the announcements after viewing the various security measures now in place at Changi Airport, said his ministry's budget for next year would also likely increase to reflect the enhanced security measures undertaken.

"With enhanced security, the finance ministry has been sympathetic to our request... I believe the budget will go up," Wong said but he gave no comments on the size of the increase. -- AFP

;AFP;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Bangladesh-ASEAN Bangladesh seeks Thai support to enter Asian Regional Forum JP/11/ASEAN Dhaka seeks Thai help to enter ARF BANGLADESH: Bangladesh has sought Thai backing to enter the Asian Regional Forum (ARF) as part of its efforts to develop regional ties, a minister said on Sunday.

"We sought Thailand's help in becoming a member of ARF and we got a positive response," Foreign Minister Morshed Khan told reporters a day after returning from Bangkok.

Khan accompanied Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on her first official visit to Thailand, which ended on Saturday.

He said the ARF was a first step in becoming a dialog partner of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Khan said Dhaka was fully committed to regional cooperation, but was also trying to develop ties with other regions to boost the country's export markets.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"These expansions in sub-regional areas are a part of our economic diplomacy," he added. -- AFP