Malaysia: Ensuring buses, taxis stick to fares

by Sim Bak Heng

The Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development Ministry will set up a body to oversee the implementation of the new bus and taxi fares from May 1.


The main task, said minister Datuk Khaled Nordin, was to ensure that operators adhered to the approved rates.

He said more details on the body would be announced on Friday.Khaled also called on the public to be the eyes and ears of the ministry, reporting errant operators so that action could be taken.

"The public should by now know the increases allowed by the Government. If they are charged higher, complain to the ministry," he said after flagging off a motorcycle treasure hunt at Nasim Sdn Bhd in Plentong here today.

The event was held in conjunction with the Nasim Peugeot Auto French Fair.The last time taxi fares were revised was in 1996, while stage and express bus fares were last revised in 2000.It was reported many stage bus operators had allegedly marked up their fares above the quantum fixed by the ministry, while taxi drivers imposed flat rather than metered rates.

Under the new fare structure, the fares for non-airconditioned stage buses are between 21.21 per cent and 33.33 per cent higher in peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, while in Sarawak the fares are between 20 per cent and 27.27 per cent higher.

For air-conditioned stage buses, the increase in peninsular Malaysia is between 16.66 per cent and 23 per cent, in Sabah between 21.05 per cent and 30 per cent, and in Sarawak between 18.18 per cent and 25 per cent.

For express buses, the increase nationwide is between 18.18 per cent and 25 per cent.The quantum is relatively lower than what bus and taxi companies and hire-car associations had sought, which was between 20 and 80 per cent.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20050425084410/Article/indexb_html

Singapore: Singapore joins fray against Japan

2005-04-23 Reuters

The predominantly ethnic Chinese city-state of Singapore accused Japan yesterday of straining relations with its neighbors for approving school textbooks that critics say whitewash its wartime atrocities.

In an unusually blunt statement, Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said Japan should not have approved the privately published textbooks, which have prompted protests across China.
"It is unfortunate that the textbook authorities in Japan had chosen to approve this rather strange interpretation of the Pacific War in Asia," the Singapore statement said.

"It has strained relations between Japan and its neighbors, in particular China and Korea. This is not in the interest of the entire region."
Thousands have demonstrated in China against the textbooks, which critics say play down the 1937 Nanking Massacre, when Japanese soldiers killed Chinese civilians.

China says 300,000 people were killed in the massacre, while some scholars put the figure at about half that. Japan's neighbors are also upset that the textbooks also make no mention of "comfort women," a euphemism for sex slaves taken by the Japanese army.

Japan occupied Singapore from 1942 until 1945 and renamed it "Syonan" or "Light of the South."
On beaches off eastern Singapore in February 1942, Japanese soldiers shot dead or beheaded thousands of ethnic Chinese Singaporeans in a massacre known as the "Sook Ching" - or "purification by elimination." The official death toll was 6,000 but unofficial figures ranged from 25,000 to 50,000.

"If there is one single event that still resonates it would be so-called Sook Ching round up," said National University of Singapore history professor Brian Farrell, author of "Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore."

During a visit to Indonesia yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologized for the "tremendous damage and suffering" caused by Japan's wartime past in an apparent effort to help douse the row with China.

The apology conforms with past statements by Tokyo but such an admission in front of an international audience is rare. The statement comes eight months after Singapore riled Beijing when now Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Taiwan as deputy premier. After that incident, Singapore took pains to assuage Beijing to limit the damage to its trade with China.

The Singapore foreign affairs ministry said World War II should not be forgotten.
"But we hope that the countries concerned can keep emotions in check and work towards a solution so that, while history is properly remembered, it does not become an insurmountable problem in the development of good relations," it added.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2005/04/23/1114223710.htm

Stephan Chow: Hong Kong's Chow Seeks to Out-'Hustle' Hollywood

Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:45 PM ET

By Craig Reid

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - French directors like Francois Truffaut created a new wave in film in the 1960s, and a decade later U.S. movie makers including Francis Ford Coppola transformed Hollywood films for a new generation.

In recent years, world cinema's mantle of change has been assumed by Asian directors like Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou, and now comes Stephen Chow, 42, a Hong Kong director and superstar actor looking to strike U.S. box office gold with the martial arts film "Kung Fu Hustle."

"Hustle," a raucous tale of a hapless gangster's attempt to prove himself deadly, is loaded with slapstick humor that harkens to Charlie Chaplin, digital effects that might shame "Spider-Man" and kung fu that rivals the likes of Jackie Chan.

"We're in a midst of an Asian film cycle with directors like Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee and now Stephen Chow," said Michael Barker, co-President of Sony Pictures Classics. "Something is going on like the French new wave of the early '60s. This is fresh filmmaking, and Chow is part of it."

Barker should boast -- Sony Pictures Classics is distributing "Hustle" in the United States -- but if overseas sales are any indicator, movie fans hunger for Chow.

"Hustle" has racked up more than $66 million at overseas box offices and last month earned six Hong Kong Film Awards, including best picture. In two weeks in the United States, it has won good reviews and brought in nearly $625,000 in seven theaters. It expands to more than 2,500 U.S. theaters on Friday.

Chow, however, seems less concerned about gaining popularity in America than about avoiding artistic compromise.

ARTIST OR SELL-OUT?

Some of his contemporaries have crossed over into Hollywood filmmaking and been accused of selling out for a big pay check. Their U.S. work, critics have said, has not compared well artistically to their Hong Kong success.

"I only know how to make films my own way," Chow told Reuters, "and the way I like making films is that I start from nothing and put a project together using my own method."
"I think with others, they're instead given a project or a role and told to do that, then follow those rules," he added.

Set amid the chaos of pre-revolutionary China, "Hustle" is about a wannabe gangster named Sing (Chow) who unwittingly entangles the vicious Axe Gang with the residents of a decrepit community known as Pig Sty Alley.

The gang has employed a string of deadly assassins to wipe out Pig Sty Alley's seemingly defenseless inhabitants, but they are thwarted by the kung-fu kicking talent of neighbors who expertly cloak their skills.

Some critics compare Chow to Chaplin because of his comedic sense and his work as a creative force -- writer, director and actor. His use of computer-generated images also has set his work apart from the ordinary.

Most importantly, his martial arts skills have won the respect of avid kung fu movie fans who trace their love of the genre to American Bruce Lee, whose films like "Enter the Dragon" made him a star in Asia and the United States.

"Bruce Lee is my idol," said Chow, "and like Bruce, I saw myself as a martial artist first, and an actor second."

CHOW TIME

Lee died in 1973 and since then, martial arts fans have hungered for superstars. Jackie Chan has enjoyed major success with comedies like "Rush Hour 2," which took in $226 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices. Jet Li's action film "Romeo Must Die" took in $56 million, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Chow has aimed for U.S. success once before with "Shaolin Soccer." That film, too, was an international hit raking in $42 million, but it proved to be a major disappointment in the U.S. with only $489,600 at box offices.

While "Shaolin" distributor Miramax Films started with a strong marketing campaign, it delayed the film's release for about year then booked the film in only 6 theaters. It reached its maximum exposure on only 42 screens.

Chow said he disliked Miramax's English language version and added that "Shaolin Soccer" should have remained in Chinese with subtitles.

"With (Sony Pictures) everything was discussed. It wasn't about them saying, 'We are going to do this and that,' but about hearing my ideas -- a real collaboration," Chow said.

The willingness of Sony Pictures to work with Chow in creating the U.S. release of "Hustle," meant more of Chow's vision made it onto silver screens this time around. And with that, the writer/actor/director whose past films shattered Hong Kong box office records of Chan and Li is now ready to take them on in America.


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Malaysia: Swoop on those who send SMS while driving.

Farrah Naz Karim
PUTRAJAYA, Apr 21:

The days of driving with one hand and sending an SMS (short message service) with the other are over.

Road Transport Department officers have started looking out for drivers engaging in this practice.

Department director-general Datuk Emran Kadir said those doing so were more dangerous than motorists who used their mobile phones without a hands-free kit.

"I cannot believe that people actually do that. It requires them to take a hand off the steering wheel and their eyes off the road as well," he told the New Straits Times today.

Emran quoted an extension of Section 17(A) of the Road Transport Rules 1996 pertaining to the use of mobile phones to send SMS while driving.

It reads: "No driver, while driving on the road, should use, or attempt to use, a hand-held telephone or any other communication equipment unless it is used through a hands-free kit".

First-time offenders can be fined up to RM1,000 or jailed up to three months' on conviction. Second offenders can be fined a maximum of RM2,000 or six months' jail, or both on conviction.The regulation came into effect after an in-depth study on the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.The number of mobile phone users nationwide has increased from an estimated one million in 1996 to 13 million last year.Emran said the ban extended to the use of walkie-talkies and radio telephones.

He said those suspected of sending SMS while driving would be stopped and their phones checked."It will be obvious if the driver had sent an SMS in the last one minute before being stopped as the 'sent' box would indicate this," he added.

The RTD is also thinking of asking telecommunications companies to furnish details of calls from mobile phones and SMS. Emran said those intending to SMS while driving should stop at a safe spot to do so.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/NST32317849.txt/Article/indexb_html

Africa: Angola's virus numbers rising

Angola's virus numbers rising
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Posted: 9:27 PM EDT (0127 GMT)


(CNN) -- The number of cases of Marburg hemorrhagic fever has continued to rise in northwestern Angola, but efforts to educate residents about the disease are appearing to be having an effect, the World Health Organization said.

As of Friday, 214 cases of the fever -- which is closely related to the Ebola virus -- had been reported, the WHO said Monday. Of those, 194 people have died.

About 90 percent of the cases are located in Uige province, but officials said six other provinces have also been affected.

Two cases have occurred in the capital city of Luanda, which has an international airport, raising the specter that the disease could spread.

But the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it is unlikely the disease would spread widely in the United States if it were to reach the country.

"This is a tragic virus, but it is mainly there in that province, and is a very low threat to people here in this country," Dr. Julie Gerberding told CNN from Washington.

In addition, there is little direct contact between the two countries: the only direct flights from Angola to the United States are private routes taken by petroleum companies.

And authorities are posted at U.S. ports of entry to identify anyone entering the country with symptoms of the disease.

Still, if the Marburg virus were to reach the United States, U.S. health officials, unlike their counterparts in Angola, have the ability to isolate people effectively, Gerberding said.

Since the virus spreads through contact with blood, sweat and other body fluids, caregivers and burial workers are at highest risk, according to health authorities.

The disease first makes its presence felt by producing high fever and head and muscle aches, experts say. Within five to seven days, patients usually deteriorate quickly: liver and kidneys fail, spontaneous bleeding occurs, followed by death.

In other outbreaks, the disease's mortality rate has been lower, a hint that patients in this instance may not be seeking care quickly enough, Gerberding said.

The health-care infrastructure in Angola is not well developed; there is evidence that the disease is spread in the very hospitals where infected people are cared for, one WHO doctor said.

To keep that from happening, the Atlanta-based disease agency has dispatched to Angola eight scientists who are teaching local health-care workers how to treat the illness without infecting themselves or others, Gerberding said.

"Ultimately, we are going to be on the search for the animal host to see if we can't figure out what the source of this is," she said.

One theory holds primates responsible for spreading the virus, she said, and health workers are cautioning people not to eat the animals.

"Sometimes, people don't cook it well; so they can even eat it raw," she said.
A lack of education and understanding about the disease among local residents has contributed to hostility toward health workers, authorities said.

Last week, mobile surveillance teams in Uige suspended operations after residents attacked and damaged their vehicles.

Those teams resumed operations Saturday, following campaigns to improve public understanding of the disease, WHO said Monday.

The campaigns seemed to be bringing about improvements, WHO authorities said in a written statement. "More alerts to suspected cases and deaths are being reported directly by residents. Some 360 contacts are being followed up by the teams in Uige, but more improvements are needed to detect cases earlier, ensure their isolation and supportive care and find and manage contacts."

The group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) has established an isolation ward at the hospital.

Marburg has no vaccine or specific treatment.
In addition to Angola, outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Africa.

Marburg virus is named after the town in Germany where one of the first outbreaks occurred, in 1967.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/04/12/virus.marburg/index.html

Asia Pacific: U.S., U.N. warn on China, Japan

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U.S., U.N. warn on China, Japan
Friday, April 15, 2005 Posted: 2:43 AM EDT (0643 GMT)


UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for Beijing and Tokyo to calm their flare-up, even as plans are afoot for more anti-Japanese protests in China this weekend.

"I think the two countries, I hope, will maintain their contacts, and they have a whole series of contests -- commercial, financial, political, and all this," Annan said on Thursday.

"And I hope this issue will be handled in a manner that will not escalate. I rely on the wisdom of the two countries to find a way out."

Annan's call came as the United States warned its citizens in China to be on guard, saying protests planned this weekend could turn against all foreigners.

"The demonstrations are purportedly against Japanese interests, but could involve foreigners in general."

Ties between the Asian heavyweights have plumbed new depths after angry Chinese protested Tokyo's approval of history books they see as downplaying World War II aggression and atrocities.

The weekend protests, which seemed to have tacit state support, also targeted Japan's bid to a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Annan has said he wants to expand the Security Council to better reflect current global political realities, including better representation from the developing world.

But China, a permanent member already, is opposed to Japan getting a seat.

The U.N. chief has called for a decision to be made by September on how to reshape the council. Chinese officials have suggested that time frame is not possible.

In last weekend's protests, which took place in several Chinese cities, thousands of Chinese citizens called for a boycott of Japanese products, burned Japanese flags and shouted anti-Japanese slogans. The protests sparked concern and denunciation from Japan.

Another point of contention is Tokyo's decision to issue drilling rights in a disputed area of the East China Sea.

Japan on Wednesday said it would award deep-sea gas exploration rights in the disputed zone to private companies, a move Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang called a "serious provocation."

Both governments disagree on the boundary and both claim the gas deposits. China has already begun exploring the fields, in a move Tokyo says extends into its zone.

More protests planned Japanese foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura is expected to go to Beijing this weekend to discuss the fraying ties as organizers plan more protests.

The organizers are sending their messages over the Internet and mobile phone text messages, but Beijing has so far blacked out all coverage of the protests.

China has stood firm so far, with Premier Wen Jiabao telling reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday Japan must "face up to history squarely."

On Tuesday Japanese Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said he was concerned about the impact of the Chinese sentiment on Japanese companies, one day after Koizumi called the protests "regrettable" and urged the Chinese to protect the nation's citizens.

"Yes, I'm worried ... they're a country that's trying to become a market economy and we need them to take a proper response," Nakagawa told a news conference.

"It's a scary country."

Japan's leaders have so far apologized to China on no fewer than 17 occasions since the two nations restored diplomatic ties in 1972, according to The Economist Global Agenda.

Japan is now also widely regarded as a model nation -- a pacificist democracy that donates large sums of money to the United Nations and the World Bank.

But the textbook row has only exacerbated a deep-seated ill-will. Of 1,000 Chinese in major cities surveyed in a telephone poll by the independent Social Survey Institute of China, nearly all said the textbook move was an insult, with most saying it was "open provocation," Reuters reported.

The tensions can be traced back to Japan's military campaigns in the last century. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, and occupied various parts of China until 1945.

In particular, Chinese say Tokyo plays down 1937's "Nanjing massacre." When that city fell to the Japanese Imperial Army, tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war were killed.

There is also much resentment of Japan's WWII practice of forcing women from China and other parts of Asia to become sex slaves for its soldiers.

Several appeals by those women for compensation have been rejected by Tokyo's high court.

CNN correspondent Tara Duffy contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/04/15/china.japan/index.html

Singapore: BreadTalk's founder charged with drink-driving

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==========================================

SINGAPORE :

BreadTalk's founder and managing director, George Quek, has been charged with drink-driving. The 48-year-old also faces another charge of driving without due care or reasonable consideration.

The Subordinate Courts heard that in the early hours of 8 October 2004, Mr Quek had apparently lost control of his Porsche, and crashed into a police car at a road block along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

He is believed to have been drunk at that time. It is not known if anyone was seriously injured in the accident. Another vehicle was also involved in the collision. The entrepreneur, who runs the bakery chain BreadTalk, is out on S$5,000 bail.

He is expected to appear in court again next month. If found guilty, the businessman may be fined S$5,000, or jailed for up to six months. He may also lose his driver's licence.

For the charge of driving without due care, he could face a fine of S$1,000 and a six-month jail term.

Mr Quek, who holds an honorary PhD in Business Administration, was the winner of the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2002. - CNA /ct

Malaysia:myGovernment website now fully operational

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===========================================================
myGovernment website now fully operational

Sarban Singh GEORGE TOWN, Apr 10:

A mind-boggling 2,460 forms can now be downloaded from the new myGovernment Public Service portal, the one-stop source for government information and services that is finally fully operational.

The idea to have the portal was raised five years ago, but till a few months ago only limited information was available online.

In both English and Bahasa Malaysia, the portal now allows users to download forms for a variety of reasons ranging from lodging a complaint of a dog bite to allowing users to check the status of EPF applications and to view their accounts online.

"The myGovernment portal simplifies the process of finding specific government-related information and enables the public and businesses to better communicate and interact with the Government," reads a statement on the portal.

"It also provides the public the added convenience of interacting with the Government via the Internet, thereby avoiding unnecessary trips to government offices.

"Previously, the public could access some of these functions through the Malaysian Civil Service Link (MCSL) website.A user can choose information according to groupings provided, including for citizens, businesses and Government. Each sector is linked to the websites of more than 700 government agencies.

Users can also apply for jobs via the Electronic Labour Exchange and access the e-library, which has hundreds of thousands of publications stored in the archives of the National Library and the Malaysian Centre For Remote Sensing (MACRES) Library, Malaysian Cocoa Board e-library and Malaysian National Digital Library (MyLib).

The portal also uploads information on government-related events and notices

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/NST32305893.txt/Article/indexb_html

Singapore:Singapore opposition says no to casino

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Friday 8th April, 2005

Singapore opposition says no to casino

Big News Network.com Thursday 7th April, 2005 (UPI)


Singapore's main opposition party has rejected the government's casino proposal and has called for a national referendum on the issue.

In a rare policy statement, the Workers' Party of Singapore argued a casino in Singapore would jeopardize the country's family values reputation and place it at risk of becoming a money-laundering hub.

The Workers' Party, whose secretary general, Low Thia Khiang, is one of just two members in the 84-seat Parliament not belonging to the People's Action Party, said it did not want the international community to identify Singapore as synonymous with casinos and gaming.

The government is scheduled to announce a decision in Parliament April 18 on whether to build Singapore's first casino project and already has rejected holding a referendum on the issue.

The government has received at least 19 bids from some of the world's biggest gaming giants, including Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts, U.S. gaming giant Harrah's Entertainment and Tabcorp of Australia.

(http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=da91110b69e1e558)
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