More embassies get suspicious packages

More embassies get suspicious packages

MALAYSIA: The European Commission on Thursday became the twelfth foreign mission here to receive a suspicious package and warned threats to Malaysia's diplomatic community were now a serious security issue.

Police have said the packages, which contained compact discs, an unidentified liquid and a note about the treatment of Muslims, were aimed at taking advantage of the security situation after the bomb attacks on the Indonesian island of Bali.

"The matter is that such parcels are circulating and arriving in the missions, and one day it can be much more serious and much more life threatening," said Thierry Rommel, head of the EC delegation to Malaysia.

"This calls for an extreme level of vigilance," he told AFP.

Like other embassies, the package was sent by express mail through Malaysia's postal service, Rommel said.

The package arrived on Wednesday afternoon but communication difficulties resulted in Malaysian police and military not arriving at the EC office until Thursday morning, he said.

Police have called the parcels a hoax, saying they believe the liquid and powdery substances in other diplomatic packages were harmless.

But Rommel said such beliefs were cold comfort. --AFP