Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from January 2003

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from January 2003

BJP juggles poll prospects.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - The BJP today tried difficult election management by ruling out an alliance with Mr Sukh Ram in Himachal Pradesh, offering a no-contest against the AIADMK for the...

Mahadzir: Don't be suspicious of social activities at Christian centres.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SUNGAI PETANI, Thurs. - There must be no suspicion cast on social activities organised at Christian community centres as they have a role to play in fostering the spirit of muhibah between religious...

Datukship conferred by Undang Luak Johol not recognised.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SEREMBAN, Thurs. - The State Government will not recognise the datukship conferred on a few businessmen by Undang Luak Johol, Datuk Ali Abdul, one of the four Undang Luaks in Negri Sembilan. The...

Thackeray son named Sena deputy.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MUMBAI, Jan. 30. - Mr Bal Thackeray's son, Mr Udhav Thackeray, today became executive president - a newly created post - of the Shiv Sena. And the move has apparently sidelined the Sena...

BJP puts allies on notice.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Mohan Sahay in New Delhi Jan. 30. - The BJP has put its allies on notice. The message that went out of Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday was that the BJP has begun preparations to face the next general elections...

40 in institute rioting remanded.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - Police today obtained a six-day remand order from the Kajang magistrate's court against 40 trainees involved in a rampage involving seniors and juniors at Institut Kemahiran Belia...

How Udhav beat Raj to the post.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service MUMBAI, Jan. 30. - With the elevation of Mr Udhav Thackeray to the specially-created executive president's post in Shiv Sena, for the first time Mr Bal Thackeray will have any number...

Better administration of religious schools on the cards.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IPOH, Thurs. - The Federal Government is expected to introduce a better system of administration for all religious schools based on the approach used in Johor. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani...

Row shuts off cable TV in city.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Jan. 30. - Cable TV services in large parts of Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly went off the air this evening after RPG Netcom allegedly snapped some cable-operators' lines. Some...

Exodus from city begins.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - With the Chinese New Year two days away, city folk have begun the balik kampung exodus. Puduraya, for instance, was packed with people waiting to leave the city with many of...

VHP warns of 'drastic steps'.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India KANPUR, Jan. 30. - The VHP today threatened 'drastic steps by saints' if the Centre failed to hand over the 'disputed' land in Ayodhya to the 'Ram Janambhoomi Nyas' before the 22 February...

Impact of Valuecap out-weighs size of its funds.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) VALUECAP, the Government-backed assetmanagement company, is armed with RM10 billion to invest in the stock market. The amount is small in a market capitalised around RM400 billion. And yet, a lot...

IIT, Kharagpur mops up Rs 35 crore.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) KOLKATA, Jan. 30. - A host of announcements about IIT Kharagpur, including a new fellowship and steps towards a "greater synergy with the industry", was made by Mr Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the board of...

I didn't insist on law: Jana.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Sudesh K Verma in New Delhi Jan. 30. - Mr Jana Krishnamurthy today denied that he had insisted on retaining the law ministry but refused to specify why he had rejected the Prime Minister's offer of some other...

State of the Onion ..TY: Editorial.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PEELING away the layers of United States President George W. Bush's State of the Union address could certainly bring tears to the eyes. Whether of hilarity, rage or despair depends on who's in the...

On Veerappan trail.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India MYSORE/COIMBATORE, Jan. 30. - Special Task Force men from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu tonight seemed to be zeroing in on Veerappan in the forests across the two states. The outlaw has been...

When more money is spent on a cow than the poor.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE road to Cancun is littered with obstacles. The world trade situation looks precarious and may be headed towards disaster. "There is a rising tide of discontent and anger in the developing world and...

Establishing binding precedents.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE warning signs of a crisis in the Syariah system's administration of justice are long there for all who care to see. The multiple versions of the Islamic family laws under 14 State...

Six months enough to rid PMO of Goel.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - There are a variety of reasons for the widely expected removal of Mr Vijay Goel as minister of state in the PMO. While he was not dropped from the council of...

Honeymoon over.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) MANDI, Jan. 30. - Snapping ties with BJP at the state level, the lone Himachal Vikas Congress representative in the Dhumal ministry, Mr Ram Lal Markanda, today resigned from the post. However, the party...

Let UN lead the way to world peace.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) WE are 10 Malaysian professionals from different ethnic groups and religions, and we fully support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad's plea for the United Nations Security Council to take...

Digvijay urges ban on cow slaughter.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - The Congress CM of MP has written to the PM, urging him to impose a nation-wide ban on cow slaughter. Barely 24 hours ago the BJP had decided to pit Miss Uma Bharati against Mr Digvijay...

Durian wafts from the past.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) YOUR "The NST Diary" (New Sunday Times, Jan 16) had a very interesting description of the offensive smell of the durian - from the white men's eyes and noses, that is! I have a mid-19th century...

Dhar tense over disputed monument.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service BHOPAL, Jan. 30. - Communal tension is brewing in Dhar in west Madhya Pradesh over a disputed 11th century monument, where a mosque and a temple co-exist since pre-Independence. ...

Driving on KL roads a mind-boggling experience.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) I WOULD like to add my comments to those of Henry of Kuala Lumpur (NST, Jan 29). As a British expatriate living in your beautiful country since last year, I feel as safe here as in any country in...

Now that's quite enough!
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IT's enough to make some people - at least among those old enough to fancy they recall them - yearn for the Good Old Days, when schools valued discipline and smartness of conduct in their charges; when...

Poachers kill a dozen deer and a youth.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) JAIPUR, Jan. 30. - A 17-year-old youth died when he and others fought with poachers in Sewdi village of Nagaur district yesterday. The poachers were trying to flee after killing over a dozen deer. During...

Antony sets an example.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan. 30. - The Kerala chief minister has set an example for his Cabinet colleagues. Mr AK Antony has presented a bill with the lowest amount for his travel expenses - just Rs 65,659 -...

Mahajan happy to be back to square one.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service New Delhi, Jan. 30. - The leader who was described by the BJP president as a mass leader today began his new stint in the party on a positive note. While the party president, Mr M...

Racists responsible for bad vibes in Islam.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IT is sad to read what appears to be a misunderstanding of practice and how Islam is misinterpreted just because of the cultural/racial idio- syncrasies of some Malays. When I was in year one in...

Bail plea in Statesman case rejected.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Jan. 30. - The bail application of six of the accused in the Statesman assault case was today rejected by Mr SC Misra, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Bankshall Court. They were...

No time frame for settling dispute.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) WE refer to the report "Deutsche cannot veto merger plan: Munir" (Business Times, Jan 30) and in particular to the quote attributed to our chairman Datuk Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid: "Deutsche has given...

Run over at city rail crossing.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA/ BURDWAN, Jan. 30. - The habit of crossing railway tracks in the face of approaching trains took three lives in Kolkata and Burdwan since last night. In the city, commuters paid...

Trade in protected species virtually unchecked.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE report (NST, Jan 26) on the seizure of tiger bones and elephant tusks highlights a loophole that reflects the value the Malaysian legal and political systems place on the environment. To think...

Gateway to disaster?
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Park Circus residents and a section of the GRP claim it was the unmanned gate at Gobra level-crossing that caused today's accident. Mr TK Dey, DSP (Railway) said "preliminary inspection shows the gate was...

Sadness over neglected old KTM station.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) I WANT to express my sadness over the lack of attention and care by the authorities to our old KTM station in Kuala Lumpur. Since KL Sentral is now in full operation, most train and commuter train...

Vajpayee security breached again.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - Security cover provided to motorcades of the President and the Prime Minister, witnessed intrusions - first by a motorcyclist and second by a cyclist - within an...

Transport woes in Cyberjaya.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IN 1996, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). Cyberjaya, one of the flagships of this vision, was supposed to be developed as an intelligent...

Relying on courier service after Pos Malaysia let him down.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) AFTER reading the NST, I find that I am not the only one who has had bad experiences with Pos Malaysia. An important letter was sent from Denmark to me on Jan 8 and never arrived. A Christmas...

Mess up and then agitate.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Jan. 30. - West Bengal has nothing to worry about its financial health till March, Mr Asim Dasgupta said today at a Left Front meeting. But what will happen after March? The...

Waiting for the full story.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MOST of us must have watched the live telecast on the report by chief UN inspector Hans Blix and his colleague Mohamed ElBaradei to the UN, reporting on their inspection of Iraqi weapons. Bliz did...

Lingua franca?
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Is the finance minister taking a cue from Sunil Gangopadhyay and the 'Bangla first' chauvinists? Or was he simply in such a tearing hurry to release the report that he didn't bother to have English copies of...

Lights at car park fixed, fencing erected.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) WE refer to the letter by L.Y.K. of Seremban ("Security lacking at KTMB park", NST, Jan 20) regarding the malfunctioning lights at the Seremban Komuter station car park. KTM Berhad would like to thank...

Bihar list ignored, award goes to saffronite.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service PATNA, Jan. 30. - The association with the RSS seems to have mattered more than excellence in personal and professional life in selecting the Padma Shree awardees from Bihar this year....

PM takes back CBI from deputy.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - In a surprise move, the Prime Minister today retained control over the Central Bureau of Investigation even as he extended the Deputy Prime Minister's writ beyond...

`Ops Kesan II' to recover RM26b taxes.
January 31, 2003... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SHAH ALAM, Thurs. - The Customs Department will take stern action against businessmen who fail to pay sales and service taxes to the department. Its director-general Datuk Abdul Halil Abd Mutalib...

Shahnawaz no to mosque shift.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Jan. 30. - The Union civil aviation minister, Mr Shahnawaz Hussain, has apparently taken it upon himself to take on the Deputy Prime Minister, vis-a-vis the status of the mosque...

WCAPE GOVT REVISES FEES FOR NUMBER PLATES.
January 31, 2003... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) Western Cape transport MEC Tasneem Essop approved on Friday the revised fee structures for personalised number plates in the province which will come into effect from Saturday. The new fees...

/net.news/.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Anecdotes "IN a test between India and the West Indies, the fiery Wes Hall was sending quivers down the Indian spine. Kapil Dev walked slowly to the crease, not feeling unlike a lamb at the slaughterhouse. As...

Calypso & reggae, not Motown & soul.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) By JONATHAN POWER THE continental Europeans, Germany and France in particular, made a grave tactical mistake last week in making it clear to the USA that they felt the UN inspections were working and that the...

French radio gives "secret story" behind Ivorian peace talks in Paris.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The presidential address is being awaited. An address by President Laurent Gbagbo was expected last night. It will certainly now be [expected] for this weekend [1-2 February]. He needs a few...

'You only need to win!
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) The Island, Asia News Network COLOMBO. Jan. 30. - You only need to win to turn the tide. That's what, it seems, has been the cryptic message that Hemaka Amarasuriya has delivered to the Sri Lankan World Cup...

Premier cites international achievements by Japanese in policy speech.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Tokyo, 31 January: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday [31 January] cited international achievements by Japanese nationals as signs of the country's latent potential in an attempt to...

Another rating, another farce.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) MUMBAI, Jan. 30. - A prestigious cricket publication's ratings for the forthcoming World Cup will be unveiled tomorrow. The efficacy and the credibility of such rating systems and the awards, that often go...

Russian military to get new generation equipment from 2008 - defence minister.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 January: Future armaments and military hardware will be commissioned by the Russian Armed Forces starting from 2008, Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov said in an interview with the...

'Restoration' of Sunita's pride.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - Middle-distance runner Sunita Rani is to get back her Asian Games medals on 4 February. An Amateur Athletic Federation of India Press release said today that it would organise a special...

Japan Coast Guard reports one dead, two missing after fishing boat sinks.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kagoshima, Japan, 31 January: A fishing boat sank Thursday [30 January] night in the Pacific Ocean off Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, killing one crew member and leaving two missing,...

DDCA prevents Jadeja from taking the field.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Press Trust of India NEW DELHI, Jan. 30. - Cricketer Ajay Jadeja was today prevented from playing in a local league match here by the Delhi and District Cricket Association, just three days after a five-year...

WEEKENDER: TRAVEL & TOURISM.
January 31, 2003... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: E. P. Patanne The United States and Britain are poised to attack Iraq with an invasion force of some 150,000 to 200,000 men. This has been broadcast by US President George W. Bush. When...

Will the hidden talent speak forth?
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Canada, notwithstanding their fairly long history in the game, have adhered strictly to Baron Pierre de Coubertin's hallowed Olympian ideal when pitchforked into the big league. They humbled Scotland to...

Czech Republic: Number of asylum seekers drops by half in 2002 - minister.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Prague, 30 January: The number of asylum seekers in the Czech Republic dropped by half in 2002 as compared to the number in 2001, Interior Minister Stanislav Gross said at a press conference...

The new language of peace, security.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) The concluding part of US ambassador Robert D Blackwill's speech at the Institute of Defence Analyses' 5th Asian Security Conference in New Delhi on 27 January PEACE within Asia - a peace that promotes...

Slovak Romany women confirm they were sterilized against their will.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Bratislava, 30 January: Two Romany women from Richnava, east Slovakia, have confirmed information by two NGOs from New York and Kosice according to which Romany women are forcefully sterilized...

Being an Archaeologist.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) People are often under the misconception that archaeologists are those people who merely dig up dinosaur bones and study them. Actually, archaeologists study past human life and not dinosaur life! Dinosaurs...

Spanish premier insists Atlantic alliance holding firm.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] In the meeting held yesterday afternoon in Madrid the Spanish premier, Jose Maria Aznar, and the British prime minister, Tony Blair, have confirmed that the UN must continue to play...

After Dolly, it may be you.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) "I wish I had been able to send my clone to give those stupid examinations". "If only I had a clone to listen to those endless lectures by my father". These are some of the common prayers registered at God's...

American bank releases Iran's frozen assets.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Tehran, 31 January: The accounts of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section [IRIIS] in Washington which had been frozen on the orders of an American federal court a while ago have again...

Spell well.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) The grand final of the All Bengal Inter-School Spelling Competition was held at Rabindra Sadan on 21 January where 81 schools from Kolkata, Howrah and various districts of Bengal participated in the...

Sonia blamed for defections in UP.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Ajay Jha Even as the Congress party is nursing the split in its legislative party in Uttar Pradesh, there are murmurs that the lack of a killer instinct in party president Sonia Gandhi may affect the...

IGNITING MINDS.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) His vision The ignited soul compared to any resource Is the most powerful resource On earth , above earth and under the earth I will keep the lamp of knowledge burning To achieve the vision- Developed India....

Peace draft with MILF in final shape.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Our Bureau Chief The Philippine government has finalised the draft of a proposed peace settlement with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said a government negotiator. The Cabinet...

Read a Book.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Teddy Bear Stories for Grown Ups Pan Books Rs. 149 The title pretty much sums the book up. Stories of, by and about teddies: teddies of all shapes and sizes, ages and dispositions. (If any reader asks, at this...

Public speeches by militant leader Hafiz Saeed banned.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Abdullah Iqbal Amidst growing international criticism of Pakistan's failure to take tougher action against militancy, particularly against rebel militants involved in 'jihad' in Kashmir, the Punjab...

Tales from beyond.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) The other day, as I sat dozing in the back bench during a particularly boring History class, drooling on the kebabs lying snug in my tiffin box, I noticed some indiscernible scribbles on the desk. After a...

UNF slammed for not checking truce violations.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Sinha Ratnatunga Sri Lanka's main opposition parties yesterday accused the ruling United National Front (UNF) of failing to keep the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam within the framework of the...

Poets' Corner.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) The Defunct Victims The defunct individuals, Victimised by the speckle band holding the scales of injustice. If only society stopped the castration of bestowed honours! Would there be an eternal sigh from...

Dhaka bid to resolve crisis with Delhi.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Nazmul Ashraf Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary, Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury yesterday said Dhaka is engaged in dialogue with New Delhi through diplomatic channels to put an end to India's alleged attempts to...

Newsgroups.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Have you ever had a question and thought, "I'm sure someone knows the answer, but how do I find that person?" With the Internet, you can not only search websites for information, but also communicate with...

Kerala opposition stages walkout.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Our Kerala Correspondent The opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) yesterday walked out of the Kerala assembly protesting Speaker Vakkom Purusho-thaman's refusal for an adjournment motion to discuss the...

A disease or a curse?
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Today, 30 January, is World Leprosy Day. Those suffering from this disease are excommunicated from society. They are virtually disowned by their families and are forced to leave their homes without anyone...

Police open fire as fishermen clash.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Our Kerala Correspondent About 15 people were injured yesterday when two groups of different communities clashed over fishing rights in the sea off Perumathura near Puthenthoppu near here. Police...

In School.
January 31, 2003... (From The Statesman (India)) Promising perspective It's been a long and glorious journey of 25 years from 1978 - 2003. All the glory, proud moments and memories culminated in an exhilarating show during the silver jubilee celebrations of...

Politicians protest lampooning of Mahatma.
January 31, 2003... (From Gulf News) Byline: From Ajay Jha Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala yesterday staged a day-long sit-in protest in the capital demanding stern action against those making India's Father of the Nation an instrument of...

Croatian floor groups endorse bills on state liability for war damage.
January 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Zagreb, 30 January: All parliamentary benches on Thursday [30 January] endorsed bills on the state's liability for damage in their first reading. But they did ask about the approximate amount of...