The embassies of Japan, Thailand, Germany and Canada were gripped by a security scare yesterday after receiving suspicious packages, an apparent hoax in retaliation for perceived injustices against the Muslim world, police said.
In the most serious disruption, the Japanese embassy was evacuated after it received a large envelope addressed to the ambassador, bearing a postmark from Malaysia's northeastern Kelantan state.
Similar packages were received by the German, Canadian and Thai embassies, as well as the Thai consulate in the northern town of Penang, said Kuala Lumpur police chief Mustafa Abdullah.
THREATENING MESSAGES
"The parcels came with some threat or retaliation for so-called injustices the countries have done to the Muslim world. We believe it is from the same source," he said.
"We believe this is a prank. But we cleared the embassies as a precaution and things are back to normal now. There is nothing to fear," he said.
Witnesses outside the Japanese embassy said the package, retrieved by firefighters and hazardous material unit personnel, contained some papers, a compact disc and a liquid substance.
"Police checked at least two of parcels. The liquid turned out to be some kind of oil, nothing harmful," Mustafa said.
The alarm was first raised after the staff at the Japanese embassy were instructed to leave the building by a message on the mission's public announcement system, but no reason was given.
Soon ambulances, fire trucks and the fire department's hazardous material unit arrived and entered the building to take away the package. Police sealed off part of the road in front of the embassy.
While the drama was unfolding, police were called to the Thai, German and Canadian embassies, which all reported receiving an envelope that contained "a suspicious substance," said embassy officials.
INCREASED SECURITY
Police have increased security for embassies and tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur following Saturday's bomb attacks that killed 22 people on Bali.
In Tokyo, the Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that "a suspicious package" was sent to the embassy and all of about 30 staff were evacuated.
A ministry official said the case is under investigation and there was no immediate comment.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS