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

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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

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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

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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