KL foreign debt reaches $41b

KL foreign debt reaches $41b

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's foreign debt totaled 156.9 billion ringgit (US$41.28 billion) as of the end of September, parliament was told Tuesday.

Deputy Finance Minister Chan Kong Choy said 48.6 percent of the total, or 76.2 billion ringgit, was public sector debt and the rest private.

Domestic debts totaled 625.6 billion ringgit, with the private sector responsible for 81.6 percent of the total, Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

The federal government's foreign debts amounted to 18.9 billion ringgit while domestic debts totaled 104.8 billion ringgit, he said in answer to an opposition question.

Chan said the government's interest bill would be eight billion ringgit next year, 7.9 billion in 2002 and 7.7 billion in 2003.