Schroeder arrives in Malaysia
Schroeder arrives in Malaysia
MALAYSIA: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a three-day official visit which is part of a short trip to four Southeast Asian countries.
His visit to Malaysia is the first such trip by a German chancellor to this mainly Muslim country. Schroeder is also scheduled to visit Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam before heading back home on May 16.
Schroeder's trip to Malaysia comes ahead of scheduled visits by French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin in coming months.
Just like Malaysia, the three European countries opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is regarded as a strong voice in the Islamic and developing worlds.
Mahathir has upset Washington with his outspoken criticism of its Middle East policies, but Kuala Lumpur has supported the U.S. war on terror launched in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. -- Reuters
;AP;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Singapore-port-accident Sailor killed in port explosion JP/12/ASEAN
Sailor killed in port explosion
SINGAPORE: A Chinese sailor was killed on Sunday in a small explosion aboard a Korean chemical tanker in Singapore's port, officials said.
The incident aboard the Korean-registered Bum Ik occurred at 6 a.m. (5 a.m. in Jakarta) while the vessel was lifting its anchor to leave after refueling in Singapore's port, said Ong Chong Pheng, a spokeswoman for the Maritime Port Authority.
There was no cargo on board the tanker and no fuel leaked from the ship, Ong said.
The ship was anchored off the Eastern Petroleum Anchorage, 2 kilometers southeast of Singapore's Bedok Jetty in the eastern part of the island when the incident occurred.
The Bum Ik arrived in Singapore from Tianjin, China on May 10 and was headed to Sumatra in Indonesia, Ong said. Singapore port and police officials are investigating the incident, she said. -- AP
;AFP;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Malaysia-fake-credit-cards Police seize 1,000 fake credit cards JP/12/ASEAN
Police seize 1,000 fake credit cards
MALAYSIA: Malaysian police have detained a 30-year-old man and seized 1,000 forged credit cards with a total credit limit of 15 million ringgit (US$3.9 million) at the country's international airport, a report said on Sunday.
The Sunday Star said police detained the individual, described as a "runner", on May 2 when he was departing for Britain.
Abu Bakar Mustaffa, head of crime for Selangor state where the Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located, said airport workers detected the cards as his hand luggage was going through a scanner.
"They detained him when they found the cards purportedly issued by Citibank, Standard Chartered and OCBC Bank," Abu Bakar said.
The newspaper said the cards, made in Malaysia, were ready to be embossed and encoded.
Abu Bakar said more individuals could be detained as investigations were continuing. -- AFP