Archive - 13 December 2004

This prompts Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang to ask if the withdrawal had anything to do with the recent revelation that seven states were on the verge of bankruptcy.

A Malay tabloid accuses Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin's online daily, Malaysia Today , of inciting racial and religious disquiet. The editor refutes this and explains his stand.

The motion, submitted by a DAP MP, was canned on the ground that it was not urgent enough to be debated in the House.

Fomca wants the PM to put a stop to indiscriminate banking service charges, saying this is hampering the true growth and competitive potential of the banking sector.

The recent spate of letters on Tamil schools are recycling the same old and rather tiring argument that closing down Tamil schools will do wonders for the community. As usual, facts have become the casualty.

Sarawak's policy on deep-sea fishing permits has come under scrutiny, with allegations that a state policy is benefitting foreigners.

Due to unexpected problems on the prosecution's side, the former land and cooperative development minister's case will be mentioned again next year.

Penguatkuasaan bersepadu melibatkan Jabatan Perikanan, Polis Marin dan Tentera Laut belum mampu sepenuhnya menghalang pencerobohan kerana perairan terlalu luas.

The opposition party says the government should instead reduce and eventually abolish toll charges along the country's longest bridge.

The second Bush administration is "so bogged down" with Iraq and the war on terror that it may not be able to act with focus, clarity and consistency in the Asia-Pacific region.

The ex-deputy premier, who himself was detained twice under the ISA, says the law is a 'colonial legacy' and Malaysia does not need it.

Another batch of ISA detainees are said to have been beaten up by camp personnel, just after a similar incident last week.

'Most of these innocent students did not know what they were getting into, until it was too late,' says Ahmed Rashid.

Analysts say there is a perceptible shift in KL dealings with Singapore at the higher level under Prime Minister Abdullah's leadership.

Some of the prison guards say they felt threatened and intimidated for a long time, there is a lot of tension in Kamunting, says Suhakam commissioner Hamdan Adnan.

The US Coast Guard are taking measures to protect salmon from oil spilled by a ruptured Malaysian ship in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

Bank Negara has been criticised for 'delaying' implementation of its guidelines on banking service charges.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Singapore's former premier Goh Chok Tong present an upbeat assessment of chances of resolving the issues in revived negotiations today.

The floods have been described as the worst in 40 years in a region regularly hit by monsoon rains at this time of the year.

He says transferring operations to Indonesia would help Malaysia curb the influx of illegal migrants from its southern neighbour.