Archive - 30 April 2003

The World Health Organisation praises Singapore over its efforts in battling the killer disease which has killed 23 people in the island republic. Elsewhere, Beijing residents are in a state of panic over the fast spread of the virus.

A leader of the biggest group of Muslim separatists in the Philippines rejects Malaysia's appeal to drop demands for a separate Islamic state and instead settle for limited self-rule.

The Court of Appeal has set next week to hear the application for bail by jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. Unfortunately the date falls o­n the same day of his daughter Nurul Izzah's akad nikah ceremony.

The health authorities today ordered an immediate recall of all products manufactured by an Australian pharmaceutical company accused of negligent drug production.

A master plan to turn Kuala Lumpur into a world-class city by 2020 must address education needs of the Chinese community, say advocates.

More than 500 people polled in Penang in advance of the World Press Freedom Day o­n May 3 feel that the credibility of the mainstream media has been declining since 1998.

Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, who allegedly assaulted a former television personality at a Kuala Lumpur bistro o­n April 18, may not escape unscathed after all.

This is an open letter to US Ambassador to Malaysia Marie T Huhtala. The surrender or capture of Iraq's former deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz is not the greatest coup for coalition forces.

It is a shame that a legitimate issue - Tamil schools and, along with it, the fate of 90,000 Indian
Malaysian children - should be kicked about by politicians for no good reason. Reading about the
ongoing fracas between PPP head Kayveas and IPF head G Pandithan, in the Tamil press, o­ne cannot help but feel disgusted, and alarmed, with the state of the Indian leadership in this country.

Saya ingin merujuk kepada kenyataan Setiausaha Parlimen, Kementerian Tenaga, Telekomunikasi dan Multimedia, Chia Kwang Chye sebagaimana yang disiarkan dalam sebuah akhbar harian bertarikh 30 April 2003.

The police's blessing for tomorrow's rally will avoid a repetition of the mass arrests of demonstrators which occurred at last year's celebration.

Malaysia International Shipping Corp Bhd (MISC) finalises a RM1.6 billion purchase of crude oil tanker unit from Singapore's Neptune Orient Lines Ltd (NOL).

I can see that many contributors to the letters column are the elite of the Malaysian population. I admire and respect them for their contributions and views even though I might not agree with everyone. It is healthy to debate and discuss issues.

The entire globe is now within the United States' sphere of influence, which has made the UN more impotent than ever. This is what has so enraged Europe.

That time of the year to scrutinise the state of press freedom in the country is here again. Local groups have planned forums and a festival to commemorate the special day.

Wujudnya 'wira-wira Islam' seperti Osama bin Laden dan Saddam Hussein telah dijadikan alasan oleh Amerika Syarikat dan sekutunya untuk menyerang negara-negara Islam. Sehubungan itu, penulis LEE BAN CHEN melihat kehadiran wira-wira ini sebenarnya merugikan umat Islam sendiri!

A British university is offering a master's programme in mass graves as it sees a greater need for training people to take o­n forensic investigations of genocide.

The Economist , faced with Malaysian government threats of a ban over a series of articles it published, has decided it will not apologise. What next?