■ IndonesiaMilitary chief replaced
Indonesia's military chief has resigned and President Megawati Sukarnoputri has replaced him with a hardline general known for his xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists, officials said yesterday. General Endriantono Sutarto, who has headed the military since 2002, will be replaced by General Ryamizard Ryacudu. Ryacudu is a staunch nationalist who has earned a reputation over the years for making controversial remarks. He hailed soldiers who killed a peace-advocating separatist leader "heroes," called two Germans shot by troops "stupid" for vacationing in a dangerous part of the country, and said human rights workers should have their "heads knocked off." He also is fond of saying that Indonesia is overrun with spies from Australia, the United States, Britain and Israel.
■ Hong Kong
Ho daughter in libel suit
Actress-singer Josie Ho, daughter of Hong Kong gambling tycoon Stanley Ho, has filed a defamation suit against a magazine for hinting that she served drugs to her guests at a party, newspapers reported yesterday. Entertainment magazine < ■ Malaysia Cut wires found in plane Investigations into severed wires in a Malaysia Airlines aircraft, the third such case in nearly a year, are focusing on the possibility of an inside job, police said yesterday. The national carrier was found to be in full compliance with safety and security measures, raising the possibility of an inside job, a police spokesman told AFP on condition of anonymity. The others cases were in a Perth-bound A330 on October 2 last year and a Boeing B777 destined for Bombay, India on November 26. "When the aircraft was powered up during routine maintenance service, the A330 flight system showed a malfunction signal in the cockpit. Initial inspection showed that the wiring system could have been tampered with," the carrier said Thursday. ■ Singapore Arrests for drug trafficking Singapore authorities have arrested 23 people, five expatriates among them, in a crackdown on a suspected high society drug-trafficking ring. In a statement late on Friday, the Bureau said it had seized 64g of cocaine, 5.1g of ice, 29g of cannabis and 52 ecstasy pills, with a total street value of around S$22,000 (US$13,100). The Bureau said the expatriates arrested included a Briton, a Frenchman, a Sri Lankan and a Tunisian, but it did not reveal the nationality of the fifth. Singapore laws fix a mandatory death penalty for anyone aged 18 or above convicted of trafficking more than 30 gm of cocaine. The penalty for possession or consumption of cocaine is a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment for 10 years, or both. ■ United StatesFears for Iranian journalist Officials said on Friday the US is concerned that Iran has arrested a journalist and stopped him from picking up a rights award in New York in a sign of what it called worsening violations in the Islamic republic. Emadeddin Baghi was due to receive a Civil Courage Award from the Northcote Parkinson Fund, which said he had previously been imprisoned for exposing killings of intellectuals. Baghi was arrested at Tehran airport and will now apparently face charges of criticizing the government, State Department spokesman Gregg Sullivan said. ■ United Kingdom First lady predicts May poll Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, inadvertently dropped a heavy hint that the next election will take place in May next year, the Times reported yesterday. Speaking at an event to promote her new book, The Goldfish Bowl, Blair said her regular Tuesday receptions for charitable organizations were "fully booked out until May 2005." Blair "froze" after making the remark and a short silence followed at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. Interviewer Christopher Cook quipped: "You heard it here first."
RSS