Singapore-Malaysia relations strained
Singapore-Malaysia relations strained
SINGAPORE: Sections of the Malaysian media were souring relations with neighboring Singapore by publishing unfounded information, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in remarks published on Sunday.
Singapore's prime minister accused some media in Malaysia of being "more interested in chasing up stories which could sour relations," the Sunday Times reported.
He did not name any particular media group or stories. Goh's remarks were made to reporters during his visit to Denmark and Spain amid increased strains between Singapore and Malaysia.
The prime minister said he could not understand the attitude of the Malaysian media towards Singapore. His government had tried to send to them corrections of inaccurate reports but this proved futile, he said. --AFP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Malaysia-tourism Malaysian Islamic party urged to drop plans to ban bikinis JP/9/ASEAN
Party urged to drop bikini-ban plans
MALAYSIA: An opposition party on Sunday urged its former Islamic ally to drop plans to ban tourists from wearing bikinis under a new proposed dress code in a state it controls.
The Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) state government in northeast Terengganu said on Friday it was drawing up a dress code to discourage tourists from wearing revealing outfits.
It has also told hotels in the state to build separate swimming pools for men and women as part of an "educational program to ensure tourists respect the local culture and tradition."
But a former PAS ally in an opposition alliance, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), said the new ruling was "unfair and insensitive to the rights of non-Muslims and totally unnecessary." --AFP
;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Thai-holy water Bangkok residents flock to shrine for holy water on city's 220th JP/9/ASEAN
Thais flock to shrine for holy water
THAILAND: More than 10,000 Bangkok residents gathered on Sunday in the historic Sanam Luang district to collect vials of holy water handed out by city officials to mark the Thai capital's 220th anniversary.
Local authorities had initially planned to distribute 100,000 vials of the 100-year-old holy water, but Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej called for an additional 600 liters, the local Nation daily newspaper reported on Sunday.
Holding umbrellas to block the sun on a sweltering day, city dwellers began exchanging free vouchers for the vials around 12:30 p.m. at Bangkok's City Pillar shrine.
Hindu priests and Buddhist monks read out ancient verses, believed to bring good fortune to the city and its residents, at the shrine. --AP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Vietnam-Laos Fresh disturbances at Laos-Vietnam border crossing JP/9/ASEAN
New Violence at Laos-Vietnam border crossing
VIETNAM: Troops were deployed at one of Vietnam's main border crossings with Laos for a second night after a customs anti- smuggling operation again ran into violent resistance from locals, an official newspaper said Sunday.
The border guard was summoned after an angry crowd of around 30 people surrounded customs officers when they attempted to detain two smugglers at the Cau Treo checkpoint, the ruling communist party's mouthpiece daily Nhan Dan (The People) said.
The smugglers had rammed a customs officer's car as they charged the checkpoint on the main tourist bus route between Hanoi and Vientiane on Wednesday night before escaping into an adjacent market.
The two men, who were both eventually arrested, would be charged over the incident -- the second at the crossing in 24 hours -- the daily said. --AFP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Cambodia-culture Ancient relics head home to Cambodia JP/9/ASEAN
Ancient relics head home to Cambodia
CAMBODIA: Two ancient Khmer artifacts will be returned to Cambodia later this week amid mounting international efforts to resolve disputes around antiquities missing from impoverished third world countries.
A ninth-century stone head of the Hindu god Shiva and a 12th- century stone head of an asura or demon will be presented to the Cambodian government by a delegation from the Honolulu Academy of Arts in the US state of Hawaii on April 26.
Most of the Cambodian antiques were looted during the civil wars which ravaged the country between 1970 and 1979. They were often sold in Hong Kong and Thailand before heading to the United States, and Europe.
Further looting occurred during the 10 year occupation by Vietnam which began with the ousting of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge in 1979 and ended through a tactical withdrawal orchestrated by the United Nations.
Efforts to retrieve the lost treasures since then were bolstered through the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and publication of a book: "One Hundred Missing Objects: Looting in Angkor." --AFP