Husband, wife take turns in jail

Husband, wife take turns in jail

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean couple is taking turns to serve jail
terms for abusing their Indonesian maid so that one of them can
take care of their three children, the Straits Times reported on
Tuesday.

Yee Siew Sang has just completed his two-week jail term and
his wife Wong Wai Cheng begins her six-week stint on Wednesday,
the report said.

The couple pleaded guilty last month of assaulting their 22-
year-old maid.

Yee admitted kicking Triviana Supangat for dozing while
washing the dishes, and his wife confessed to slapping the maid.

There are some 140,000 foreign maids officially accredited in
Singapore, including more than 70,000 Filipinos, 55,000
Indonesians and 12,000 Sri Lankans. --AFP

;AP;KOD;
ANPAu..r..
Aglance-Malaysia-cigarette
KL bans tobacco-related advertising
JP/12/ATW

KL bans tobacco-related advertising

MALAYSIA: The government will ban cigarette-related advertising
and sponsorship of some events starting in January to curb
Malaysia's rising number of smokers, the health minister said on
Tuesday.

Tobacco advertisements have been banned for years in Malaysia,
but many firms skirt the law by sponsoring sports and
entertainment events and advertising their brand names without
referring to cigarettes.

Several major sports events, though, including the Malaysian
leg of the Formula One auto racing competition and soccer
tournaments, will be temporarily exempted from the new ban
because "further discussions" were necessary in these cases,
Minister of Health Chua Jui Meng was quoted as saying by the
national news agency, Bernama.

Officials believe that the promotion of events by cigarette
companies has contributed to an increase in smokers, especially
among young Malaysians, Chua said. --AP

;AFP;KOD;
ANPAu..r..
Aglance-Myanmar-arrests
Six students arrested in Yangon
JP/12/ASEAN

Six students arrested in Yangon

MYANMAR: Six students have been arrested by Myanmar's military
after one of them staged a peaceful protest in the capital, a
dissident group in Bangkok said on Tuesday.

The All-Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) said that
three university students were arrested on Saturday, a day before
final year law student Thet Naung Soe staged a lone protest
outside Yangon's city hall.

Thet Naung Soe was arrested after the protest, along with two
more students, the group said, adding that all six remain under
arrest. Authorities have not released any details.

"Even though the regime claims to the international
community ... that they released some political prisoners and are
reducing political suppression, the reality shows there are still
arrests and oppression of activists of the freedom movement in
Burma," ABSFU spokesperson Min Naing said in a statement.

Burma is the former name of Myanmar. --AFP