The Information Ministry is still waiting for funds to establish an international television channel in order to place Malaysia on the global information hub.

Its minister, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, said the government intends to set up a television station with a global approach and that it is also keen to make the country a regional centre of information.

"Contents of the international broadcast is slightly different compared to that of other local tv stations and will be created in such a way that it is not only a news channel such as Al Jazeera, CCTV, NHK or BBC but also as an important tool to attract foreign investors and tourists to Malaysia," he said.

He said this in a written repy to a question by Ahmad Shabry Chek (BN - Kemaman) in Parliament today.

Other matters that should be looked into for the establishment of this international television channel are technical, legal and software contents.

"These matters should be carefully sought as they are very important components for the project," the minister added.

Apology to Kok

The 24-hour channel, if successfully implemented, will air news based on the Malaysian and Asian perspectives for the global audience. RTM will be broadcasting this international channel to promote Malaysia as an important trading country.

Meanwhile, the ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Noriah Kasnon, wrote a letter of apology to Teresa Kok (DAP - Seputeh) today for the distribution of a wrong written parliamentary reply yesterday which was not meant for media publication.

She explained that what was distributed was merely a draft which has not been approved by her and not meant to be sent to Kok.

This was in response to an article published in malaysiakini on Tuesday on a motion that the House decided to allow television stations to telecast parliamentary proceedings live so that the people will be able to judge the performance of their MPs.