Archive - 9 December 2002

The Indonesian government and separatist rebels from the province of Aceh signs a truce agreement aimed at ending 26 years of fighting.

Suaram reports bad news for the status of human rights in the country, based on observations over the past 12 months. Not only has the government violated various rights, it now threatens to extend powers of detention.

Did PAS acting president Abdul Hadi Awang backtrack on his words when he reportedly accepted the controversial language switch yesterday? His colleagues in the party don't think so. Hadi's statement must be read in context, they say.

A 13-year-old girl whose alleged rape in a detention centre created a diplomatic row with the Philippines returned to Malaysia today, ending a dark chapter in bilateral ties.

After its controversial documentary Gerhana (Darkness) depicting the sufferings of Kelantanese under PAS rule, RTM has cast its sights on Sik, a tiny rural district in Kedah. The feature has angered Sik MP Shanon Ahmad and he is now fighting back.

In conjunction with World Human Rights tomorrow, human rights organisation Suaram awards its annual prize to a citizen's group which had played a key role in highlighting instances of 'deaths in police custody' and 'trigger-happy police'.

Malaysia would address Australian Prime Minister John Howard's threat of preemptive anti-terror strikes on neighbouring nations at an upcoming Asean regional forum, says Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

A consortium is pumping in fresh resources to revive a failed mill project, which the state government is determined to see through.

From one doctor to another in the first of a two-part essay, M BAKRI MUSA suggests possible new year resolutions for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. His 'open letter'concludes tomorrow.

The suggestion to set up a BN disciplinary board to hear the case of the two MCA reps from Penang may not be the best solution. Besides unanswered questions on its power, the move may further widen cracks among the National Front components.