UN fails to move KL on Acehnese
UN fails to move KL on Acehnese
MALAYSIA: United Nations refugee officials said on Friday they
had failed to obtain a promise from the Malaysian government that
it would not deport more asylum-seekers from Indonesia's war-torn
Aceh province.
"We did not get the assurances that there would be a
moratorium on deportations," Erika Feller, the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) director of international
protection, told a news conference
She lead a four-member delegation in talks with Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar and deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin
Zin on Friday.
The delegation, which flew in from Geneva on Wednesday, was
returning home on Friday.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers last week
voiced concern over Malaysia's plans to expel some 250 Aceh
asylum seekers, including women and children, who were arrested
last month as they approached the UNHCR offices in Kuala Lumpur.
--AFP
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Aglance-India-ASEAN
India's cabinet approves accession to South East Asia amity treat
JP/11/ASEAN
India approves SE Asia amity treaty
INDIA: India's cabinet approved on Thursday the country's
accession to a treaty of amity and cooperation in Southeast Asia,
bringing it closer to countries within ASEAN.
India had said it would be willing to accede to the treaty in
a statement at the first India-ASEAN Summit held in Cambodia in
November, 2002.
The key principles of the treaty are respect among member
nations for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, no
interference in each other's affairs and peaceful settlement of
disputes.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. --AFP
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Aglance-S'pore-SARS
Singapore SARS fears recede, patient recovering
JP/11/ASEAN
SARS fears recede, patient better
SINGAPORE: The first Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
victim in four months is recovering fast and all his close
personal contacts show no sign of the illness, authorities said
on Friday, dampening fears over a new outbreak of the disease.
The 27-year-old man has had no fever for five days and could
leave hospital early next week, though he will be quarantined for
14 days more, said Esther Wong, spokeswoman of the Ministry of
Health.
The world's first case of the potentially fatal SARS since the
World Health Organization declared the end of a global outbreak
in July has forced Asia to hasten steps to avoid a resurgence of
the illness.
The region is on high alert over fears the disease could
revive in winter after infecting nearly 8,500 people this year,
mainly in Asia, and killing more than 800, including 33 in
Singapore. It also devastated regional tourism. --Reuters
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Aglance-RP-US-Bush
Philippines steps up security precautions for Bush's whistlestop
JP/11/ASEAN
RP boosts security for Bush visit
PHILIPPINES: Philippine officials said on Friday they were
already stepping up security measures to counter any possible
threat against U.S. President George W. Bush during a planned
eight-hour visit here next month.
"Continuous security preparations are now being conducted in
Metropolitan Manila to ensure the peaceful, historic visit of
President Bush" on October 18, said Reynaldo Velasco, chief of
police forces in the capital.
These measures included heightened intelligence gathering,
tighter checks on buildings near the presidential palace where
Bush will meet President Gloria Arroyo, and the deployment of
additional bomb-sniffing dogs, Velasco said.
Police had been coordinating with an advance White House team
on security requirements during the visit, he added. --AFP