Tag: Malaysia

Japan ‘seriously concerned’ by South China Sea tension

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Japan is “seriously concerned” about Beijing’s increasingly muscular claims in the South China Sea, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Asian leaders Wednesday. Beijing insists it has sovereign rights to almost all of the strategically vital waters, where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims. It also has a simmering territorial row with Tokyo over disputed islands in the East China Sea. “I am seriously concerned with the continuing […]

Malaysia reports first pregnant Zika patient

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia on Wednesday reported its first case of a pregnant woman with Zika — a resident of a Malaysian state bordering Singapore where authorities are grappling with scores of cases. The 27-year-old woman in the southern state of Johor is the third case in Malaysia of the virus, which can result in infected pregnant women giving birth to deformed babies. The virus causes infant microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally […]

Ahead of summit, Philippines shows images of Chinese boats at disputed shoal

  (REUTERS)  The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]

Philippines issues travel warning for Zika-infected countries

MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) — The Philippines on Friday (September 2) warned Filipino passengers to take precautionary measures when travelling to Zika-infected countries and announced additional surveillance measures for passengers arriving into the country. “We are implementing stricter screening for our arriving passengers, especially from five countries in Asia. I would like to mention these countries: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. These countries have either reported cases or a transport hub that could help […]

Philippines worried, says more Chinese boats spotted at disputed shoal

  (REUTERS) The Philippines expressed “grave concern” on Sunday and demanded an explanation from China’s ambassador over what it said was an increasing number of Chinese boats near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. A Philippines air force plane flew over the rocky outcrop on Saturday and spotted more boats than usual in a flotilla China has maintained since seizing the shoal after a tense standoff in 2012, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana […]

Malaysia confirms first case of Zika, launches measures to contain spread of virus

  KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia confirmed on Thursday its first case of Zika after a woman tested positive for the virus following a three-day visit to neighboring Singapore on August 19. The 58-year-old woman had showed signs of a rash and fever one week after returning from Singapore, according to Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam. “We are carrying out control measures against aedes mosquitoes near the woman’s home to prevent the spread of the virus,” […]

Singapore confirms 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus

  (Reuters)  Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it expected more cases to be identified. All but seven of those infected had fully recovered, the Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency said in a statement on Sunday. The seven remain in hospital. On Saturday, authorities confirmed a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in southeastern Singapore as the city-state’s first case of a local transmission […]

China hosts ASEAN officials for South China Sea talks

  (REUTERS)   China hosted the ASEAN delegations for the 13th Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in the northern region of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday (August 16), state media reported. State broadcaster CCTV said the meeting reviewed and passed two documents of pragmatic maritime cooperation, including a joint statement from China and ASEAN countries on the application of the Code for […]

Japan in talks to deliver two coast guard ships to Philippines

  (REUTERS) Japan and the Philippines have begun talks for the transfer of two large coast guard ships to Manila, to help patrol the disputed South China Sea, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on Friday, as part of a deal on defense equipment. The two brand-new 90-metre (295-ft) multi-role response vessels will be in addition to ten 44-metre (144-ft) mid-sized coast guard ships, worth 8.8 billion pesos ($188.52 million), that Japan is set to […]

Philippines seeks formal talks with China amid South China Sea tensions: Ramos

  (Reuters)  The Philippines special envoy to China, Fidel Ramos, said on Friday Manila wants formal discussions with China to explore pathways to peace and cooperation after a meeting with former Chinese deputy foreign minister Fu Ying. Ramos was speaking near the end of a trip to Hong Kong undertaken in an attempt to rekindle ties with China, which have been soured by a maritime dispute in the South China Sea. An arbitration court in […]

Malaysia’s dying art: Traditional kite-making in peril

  by Satish Cheney Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Malaysia (AFP) — Shafie Jusoh loves traditional Malaysian kites so much that he can’t get a good night’s rest unless he’s been working on them daily. “I need to make kites everyday, if not I can’t sleep,” the 69-year-old said. He began making them when he was a young boy, skipping classes to entertain his flights of fancy. “If you don’t do it everyday, you will lose the […]

Philippine Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 5 sailors, Malaysia says

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s police chief said Tuesday that five tugboat crew missing since last week were abducted by the Philippine militant group Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for repeated kidnappings in waters between the two nations. The five Malaysians were kidnapped from their vessel on July 18 off the coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters. “The five tugboat crew have […]