Malaysia raps S'pore papers

Malaysia raps S'pore papers

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia's transport minister took a swipe at Singapore newspapers yesterday for playing up reports about the recent chaos at Kuala Lumpur's new airport, saying the remarks were made out of envy.

Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik's comments came after Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned that the action by the Singapore media did not augur well for relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors.

Malaysia's national news agency Bernama quoted Ling yesterday as saying the Singapore media was envious of the new Kuala Lumpur international airport (KLIA).

"It's the behavior of a competitor who likes to run down (KLIA) so that fewer passengers will be using our airport," he said. "They also see that KLIA has the potential to be the hub of regional air transportation."

The nine billion ringgit ($2.1 billion) airport ran into a host of teething troubles, including computer glitches for about a week after it opened on June 30. vehicles having antitheft equipment and tougher police measures.