Archive - 4 December 2002

The son of ex-Sarawak National Party leader, Richard Wong, will join the new party formed by his rivals after all. Is it a stab in the back for dad or a matter of protecting the family interests in timber, property, insurance and coal mining?

Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn has come up with a secret 'special formula' to end the NUBE-MCAB crisis. He has given both parties a dose of the 'medicine' and is now waiting for the results.

Will the fledgling Oriental Daily News create an impact? Under prevailing operating conditions, readers should not expect too much, observers say.

A widow's claim for her spouse's insurance payment is rightly rejected, say industry sources, considering the circumstances of his death — he was shot dead by the police.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia may have to rethink its cooperation with Australia in fighting terrorism if Canberra continues to threaten pre-emptive strikes on neighbouring countries.

Over the last month, Malaysia-Australia relations have reached new lows after several bilateral spats. Worsening the situation, the Malaysian envoy to Canberra is now recalled in the wake of assault allegations by the wife of a staff member.

Two years ago, villagers of Kampung Sungai Manggis requested the police to investigate 'suspicious activities' by a group of people led by the alleged Jemaah Islamiah leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. But they were told that the group was 'harmless'.

The High Court dismisses an application by the Indian government to have its lawyer to hold a watching brief in an appeal to extradite Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman wanted by New Delhi over a sixteen-year-old arms sale corruption scandal.

Until the Sabra and Shatila massacre, she never knew there were Palestinian refugees and dismissed the PLO as terrorists. Malaysian-born Dr Ang Swee Chai, who saw the slaughter 20 years ago, reminds us that the tragedy of the Palestinians still lives on today.

Development experts say Asian governments need to usher in durable programmes to protect the region's labour force in the event of job loss or steep pay cuts due to an economic downturn.

Adakah negara kita merupakan sebuah negara demokrasi yang berpandukan perlembagaan dan kedaulatan undang-undang atau ia lebih mirip dengan sistem autokrasi atau kediktatoran yang mengutamakan hasrat pemimpin individu yang berkuasa? LEE BAN CHEN menjawab keraguan ini berdasarkan kes Parti Sosialis Malaysia terhadap kerajaan.

Malaysians with physical disabilities are screaming to be heard. They are sick and tired of living an 'invisible' life. They desire understanding and all-round respect, especially from their own able-bodied counterparts.