Security tightened for ASEAN summit
Security tightened for ASEAN summit
CAMBODIA: Cambodian officials assert that there are no terrorists
in the country. But they are not taking any chances, and have
prepared an unprecedented security blanket for next week's
Southeast Asian summit.
Intelligence agents supported by 2,000 police and soldiers
will patrol the streets during the Nov. 3-5 summit to ensure the
safety of more than 1,000 delegates from 14 countries, Phnom Penh
Gov. Chea Sophara said.
Schools will remain closed Monday and Tuesday to reduce
traffic so that delegates can be ferried to the conference venue
unhindered.
Most of the capital's night clubs and karaoke bars will be
shut, pushcart vendors will be kept off the streets and
prostitutes off the sidewalks, Chea Sophara said. --AP
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AGLANCE-THAILAND-ATTACKS
New bomb blast in southern Thailand
JP/11/ASEAN
New bomb blast in southern Thailand
THAILAND: A bomb blast rocked a hotel in southern Thailand, the
latest in a spate of arson and bomb attacks in the Muslim-
majority region, but no one was hurt, police said on Wednesday.
The attack followed warnings from several Western governments
to their citizens about travel in the region, including some
southern parts of mostly Buddhist Thailand, in the wake of the
Oct. 12 blasts on Bali.
The bomb, hidden in a stolen motorcycle, exploded just before
midnight on Tuesday in the car park of the 60-room My Garden
Hotel in Pattani province, 1,400 km south of Bangkok. It
shattered windows in the hotel and damaged several vehicles.
Police told reporters they defused a similar homemade time-
bomb in the Pattani provincial capital on Wednesday about 10 km
from the hotel. The device was hidden in the fuel tank of another
stolen motorcycle abandoned near a school and a cafe. --Reuters
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Aglance-Malaysia-Transvestite
Malaysian transvestite contest raided by religious
JP/11/ASEAN
Transvestite contest raided
MALAYSIA: Religious authorities raided a beauty contest for
transvestites in southern Malaysia, arresting about 80 people
including men wearing evening gowns, high heels and makeup, a
newspaper reported on Wednesday.
About 200 transvestites attending the "Queen of the Paper
Dolls" pageant at a lounge in Johor state on Monday fled when
police and religious authorities entered, the Star newspaper
reported.
Some people escaped through a backroom toilet while others hid
in a secret compartment in the lounge, the paper reported.
Authorities seized the prizes, including hampers.
A photograph in the paper showed police leading away several
people dressed in glamorous gowns with fancy hair styles. One
clutched a feather boa and a silver stiletto-heeled shoe.
Malaysia has secular criminal and other legal codes that apply
to all residents, but Islamic sharia laws apply to the
predominant Muslim population. --AP
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Aglance-S'pore-Maid Abuse
S'pore begins imposing standards on maid agencies after surge in
JP/11/ASEAN
Standards on maid agencies imposed
SINGAPORE: The government of Singapore began accrediting maid
agencies on Wednesday following a surge in complaints over
unethical and unprofessional behavior.
The Labor Ministry accredited 19 of the city-state's 700 maid
agencies as a first step toward bringing a "greater level of
professionalism" to the industry, said Ng Eng Hen, a minister of
state for education and manpower.
The ministry said in a statement that it expects to have all
of the agencies registered by 2004.
The accreditation scheme was announced a few months ago after
a string of brutal beatings sparked a debate over the treatment
of maids in Singapore. --AP