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Malaysia’s
population is about 60% Muslim.
(Econ, 6/2/07, p.42)
The island of Borneo, the 3rd
largest in the world, was divided
among the sultanate of Brunei, Indonesia, and the Malaysian states of
Sarawak and Sabah, whose capital is Kota Kinabalu. Other states of 9
included Selangor and Trengganu.
(SFEC, 10/18/98, p.T10)
1.83Mil BC In 2009 Malaysian
archeologists reported that prehistoric stone axes found in Perak state
in 2008 were the world's oldest dating to about this time. The result
had a margin of error of 610,000 years.
(AP, 1/30/09)
c65000BC Geneticists in 2005 used DNA evidence to
conclude that human emigration from Africa took place about this time
from the southern end of the Red Sea and then pushing along the coast
of India and Southeast Asia. The Orang Asli people of Malaysia likely
descended from this 1st migration.
(SFC, 5/13/05, p.A7)(Econ, 12/24/05, Survey p.5)
600-1200AD Ceramic shards at Kampong Sungai Mas in
the Bujang Valley date to this time. Brick foundations and a block of
shale with a Buddhist mantra inscribed in Sanskrit was also found.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.F)
1511 Malacca (Melaka), the center
of East Indian spice trade, was captured by the Portuguese. When the
Dutch gained influence in Indonesia and Jakarta they took over Melaka
and built the fortress A Famosa.
(TL-MB, p.10)(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.T8)
1646 The Cheng Hoon Teng Buddhist
temple was built in Malacca.
(SFEC, 3/19/00, p.T8)
c1700-1800 Monosopiad, an 18th cent. warrior,
collected some 42 human skulls. His house near Sandakan is known as the
House of Skulls.
(SFEC, 10/17/98, p.T11)
1710 St. Peter's Roman Catholic
Church was built in Malacca.
(SFEC, 3/19/00, p.T8)
1728 The Muslim Kampung Hulu
Mosque was built in Malacca.
(SFEC, 3/19/00, p.T8)
1786 Capt. Francis Light landed in
Penang and built Fort Cornwallis. Light, acting on behalf of the East
India Company, swindled the island from the ruling sultan with a
promise of protection. The British usurped the land to break the Dutch
monopoly on the spice trade.
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.T8)(SFEM, 12/19/99, p.8)(SFC,
12/8/05, p.E7)
1832 Pres. Jackson sent the
frigate Potomac to bombard the pirate lair of Kuala Batu.
(WSJ, 10/9/01, p.A22)
1839 Britisher Sir James Brooke
arrived in an armed schooner to Sarawak, Malaysia, and helped the
Sultan of neighboring Brunei subdue rebel, headhunting Iban (Dayak)
tribes. As a reward he was made the Raja of Sarawak, and his heirs
continued to rule until 1946.
(Hem, 6/96, p.133)
1860s Prospectors for tin founded
the city of Kuala Lumpur ("muddy confluence") at the confluence of the
Kelang and Gombak rivers.
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.T3)
1873 Britain sent an agent, Henry
Wickham, to Brazil to get rubber seeds. The Seedlings were cultivated
in Kew Gardens and transplanted to Malaysia.
(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R50)
1890s A tin rush was on and the
elite gathered at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur.
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.T3)
1902 Thailand annexed 3 southern
provinces, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, that had been part of a Malay
Muslim sultanate called the Kingdom of Pattani.
(SFC, 1/23/04, p.A7)(Econ, 6/4/05, p.40)
1902 The Khoo Kongsi, a Chinese
clan house on Penang, burned down the night it was completed. The
temple was rebuilt.
(SFEM, 12/19/99, p.30)
1915 By this year Malay
plantations produced 107,860 tons of rubber compared with 37,200 tons
in Brazil.
(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R50)
1938 British expatriates in Kuala
Lumpur converted a hunting tradition to a drinking and running event
called Hashing, named in reference to the bad food at the Selangar Club
where they hung out.
(SFC, 8/11/00, WBb p.7)
1941 Dec 1, British declared a
state of emergency in Malaya following reports of Japanese attacks.
(HN, 12/1/98)
1941 Dec 6, Dutch and British
pilots saw Japanese invasion fleet at Singapore.
(MC, 12/6/01)
1945 At the end of World War II
Thailand was compelled to return territory it had seized from Laos,
Cambodia and Malaya. The exiled King Ananda returned.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243059.stm)
1945-1949 A series of wars for independence during
this period spread from India to Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore. In 2007 Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper authored “Forgotten
Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia.”
(WSJ, 8/9/07, p.D7)
1957 Aug 31, The Federation of
Malaya (Malaysia) gained independence from Britain (National Day).
Malaysia established itself as a constitutional monarchy. Article 11 in
the constitution gave every person “the right to profess and practice
his religion.” Pro-bumiputra (sons of the soil) discrimination was laid
down in the constitution to ease Malays’ fears of being marginalized by
Chinese and Indian migrants. A 1988 amendment denied the regular courts
all jurisdiction over matters dealt with by the Muslim sharia courts.
(YN, 8/31/99)(SFC, 11/22/01, p.A29)(AP,
8/31/07)(Econ, 9/1/07, p.11)
1960s US pres. Lyndon B. Johnson
visited the country. In honor of his visit a new plantation was named
LBJ. The plantation was later sold for the development of an
information technology zone called the Multimedia Super Corridor.
(WSJ, 1/8/97, p.A12)
1960s The Internal Security Act
was introduced to stem a communist insurgency. It allowed authorities
to detain people indefinitely without trial.
(SFC, 4/25/01, p.A12)
1963 Sep 16, The Federation of
Malaysia was formally established. Sabak and Sarawak, Britain’s
colonies on Borneo, joined the Malayan peninsula to form Malaysia with
Tunku Abdul Rahman (60) as prime minister. The federation formed under
bitter opposition from Indonesia, which refused to recognize the
country and waged a guerrilla war against it. Race riots erupted
between ethnic Malays and the Chinese majority.
(PC, 1992, p.988)(HNQ, 5/14/98)(SSFC, 3/10/02,
p.C10)(Econ, 9/20/08, p.60)
1964 Sep 2, Indonesian
paratroopers landed in Malaysia.
(MC, 9/2/01)
1965 Aug 9, Singapore proclaimed
its independence from the Malaysian Federation.
(AP internet, 8/9/97)
1965 Malaysia was seated on the
UN Security Council. Indonesia became the first nation ever to withdraw
from the United Nations in protest of the seating of its neighbor
refusing to recognize it and waging a guerilla war against it. In 1966
a peace agreement with Malaysia was reached and shortly thereafter
Indonesia resumed its membership in the UN.
(HNQ, 5/14/98)
1966 Malaysia and Indonesia
reached a peace agreement and shortly thereafter Indonesia resumed its
membership in the UN.
(HNQ, 5/14/98)
1967 Mar 26, Jim Thompson,
American ex-serviceman, disappeared while on holiday in the Cameron
Highlands of Northern Malaysia. He revived the Thai silk industry after
WW II. He was one of the first to adopt a classic Thai house to the
requirements of modern life, and his home is now a museum in Bangkok,
Thailand.
(Hem, Mar. 95, p.63)(SFEC, 7/16/00, p.T14)
1967 Aug 8, The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN was established in Bangkok by the five
original Member Countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January
1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and
Cambodia on 30 April 1999.
(www.aseansec.org/64.htm)
1969 May 10, Malaysia held its 3rd
general election since independence. Opposition advances at the polls
were followed by bloody race riots. Smoldering racial tensions erupted
between the Malays and the Chinese with riots that killed dozens.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_general_election,_1969)(SFC,11/24/97,
p.A11)
1969 May 13, In Malaysia deadly
race riots took place in Kuala Lumpur.
(Econ, 5/16/09, p.49)
1970 Sep 22, Abdul Razak
(1922-1976) became Malaysia’s 2nd prime minister.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Abdul_Razak)
1971 Malaysia introduced a New
Economic Policy (NEP), which ushered in affirmative action for Malays.
The temporary bill expired in 1990, when it was renamed and hardly
changed.
(Econ, 3/15/08,
p.51)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_New_Economic_Policy)
1974 Petronas, Malaysia’s national
oil firm, was given exclusive rights to the nation’s hydrocarbons.
Until this year all of Malaysia’s oil was pumped by foreigners.
(Econ, 10/10/09, p.69)
1974 In Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim was
detained for 22 months for organizing political opposition groups and
for distributing a book by Dr. Mahathir Mohamed.
(WSJ, 10/30/98, p.A11)
1975 Apr 4, The first group of
boat people from Vietnam began arriving in Malaysia. More than 1
million people fled from the close of the war to the early 1980s.
(SFC, 4/17/96, p.A-9)
1975 Aug 4, In Malaysia the
Japanese Red Army raided a building in Kuala Lumpur that housed US,
Swedish, Japanese and Canadian embassies. 52 hostages were exchanged
for Red Army members.
(http://www.ioss.gov/docs/julytodecember.html)
1976 Jan 14, Abdul Razak (b.1922),
Malaysia’s 2nd prime minister, died. His son Najib Razak (23) was soon
elected to parliament.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Abdul_Razak)(Econ,
11/8/08, p.60)
1977 Sep 27, Japan Airlines Flight
715, a DC-8, crashed into a hill in bad weather while attempting to
land at the Kuala Lumpur Subang Airport. 34 people, including 8 of the
10 crew members and 26 of the 69 passengers, were killed when the
aircraft broke on impact.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines)
1981 Mahathir Mohamed was named
prime minister. He led the United Malays National Organization party.
(SFC,11/24/97, p.A11)
1982 McDonald's, the US fast food
giant, began operations in Malaysia.
(AP, 4/29/09)
1983 In Malaysia PM Mahathir
Mohamed initiated Proton, the Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National
Car Project). Production of the 1st model, Saga, began in 1985 in
association with Mitsubishi of Japan.
(Econ, 5/8/04, p.61)(WSJ, 7/14/04, p.B2B)(Econ,
12/2/06, p.68)
1983 Malaysia passed an Islamic
banking law and set up Bank Islam. Takaful Malaysia, an Islamic
insurance company, was set up in 1984.
(WSJ, 4/4/07, p.A13)
1984 Daim Zainuddin became
chairman of the main investment arm of United Malays National
Organization (UMNO).
(WSJ, 3/24/04, p.B5B)
1985 Malaysia’s PM Mahathir
Mohamed and government colleagues conceived the idea of a national
highway about this time.
(Hem., 1/96, p.97)
1986 A law was enacted that
prohibited publications of "malicious allegations" against the
government.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A15)
1987 Women’s groups began
campaigning for a law against wife-beating. A weak law was passed in
1994.
(SFC, 5/17/96, p.A-14)
1988 May, In Malaysia
construction of the North-South Expressway was begun.
(Hem., 1/96, p.97)
1988 In Malaysia an amendment to
the constitution denied the regular courts all jurisdiction over
matters dealt with by the Muslim sharia courts.
(Econ, 6/2/07, p.42)
1990 In Malaysia the 1970 New
Economic Policy (NEP), which ushered in affirmative action for Malays,
expired. It was renamed and hardly changed.
(Econ, 8/27/05, p.34)
1990 Malaysia’s poverty rate stood
at 22.8%.
(Econ, 4/8/06, p.42)
1991 In Malaysia authorities
banned Mak Yong, a traditional form of dance theater.
(WSJ, 4/19/06, p.A1)
1994 The North-South Expressway of
Malaysia was completed. It spans the western side of the Malay
Peninsula from Singapore to the Thailand frontier for 520 miles.
(Hem., 1/96, p.97)
1994 Malaysia passed a Domestic
Violence Act. It made wife-beating unlawful but only after a
cease-and-desist order and went into effect in 1996. Women’s groups had
begun campaigning seven years
(SFC, 5/17/96, p.A-14)
1994 Malaysia under PM Mahathir
Mohamed awarded the Bakun Dam concession to Ekran Bhd. The government
took over the project following the financial crises of 1997-98.
(WSJ, 1/8/04, p.A14)
1994-1997 Malaysia engaged in a tight money policy as
the economy grew at a breakneck speed.
(WSJ, 11/22/05, p.A13)
1995 July, Irene Fernandez, head
of the human rights group Tenaganita, published a report after
interviewing immigrant inmates on prison conditions. 71 deaths have
been caused by alleged abuse.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A15)
1995 Sep, A Fokker-50
operated by a Malaysian airline crashed on arrival at Tawau, Malaysia
airport, killing 34 people. The plane touched down 500 yards short of
the runway, pulled up and crashed into a shantytown.
(AP, 2/10/04)
1995 Danny Ooi launched The
Malaysia Book of Records.
(WSJ, 12/1/99, p.B1)
1995 Kuala Lumpur. High trade
deficit. Money is denominated in "ringgit". [It reached 4.7 billion
dollars on annualized basis.]
(WSJ, 10/30/95, p.A-11A)
1996 Apr 18, Malaysia was to send
about 1200 Vietnamese boatpeople back home.
(SFC, 4/17/96, p.A-9)
1996 May 20, In Malaysia timber
exports have reached $1.5 billion from the state of Sarawak in
north-central Borneo Island. The lives of the local Penans and other
forest peoples have been forever fractured. Half of Sarawak is zoned
for logging, 8% is to be permanently protected, and 42% is to be
stripped away for development.
(SFC, 5/20/96, p.A-8)
1996 Jun, Malaysia’s Domestic
Violence Act went into effect. Women’s groups had begun campaigning
nine years ago and a weak version was passed in 1994.
(SFC, 5/17/96, p.A-14)
1996 Jun 10, In Malaysia Irene
Fernandez, head of the human rights group Tenaganita, went on trial for
her 1995 published report on prison conditions of immigrant inmates. 71
deaths have been caused by alleged abuse. She was charged under a 1986
law that banned the publication of "malicious allegations" against the
government. Seven years later, she was sentenced to one year in prison
but appealed. In 2008 she was acquitted.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A15)(SFC, 5/29/96, p.A8)(AP,
11/24/08)
1996 Jun 13, A report from Kuching
told of Borneo’s 2nd high tech plant being cut out of the tropical rain
forest.
(WSJ, 6/13/96, p.A6)
1996 Jun 14, Issues that had
blocked the building of the $6.02 billion Bakun hydroelectric dam in
Sarawak state on Borneo were resolved.
(WSJ, 6/14/96, p.A10)
1996 Jun 19, A court order stopped
work on the $5.4 billion Bakun Dam due to violation of environmental
laws.
(SFC, 6/20/96, p.A10)
1996 Jul 7, The average cost of a
Big Mac in Malaysia was $1.51.
(SFC, 7/7/96, Parade, p.17)
1996 Jul 10, Entrepreneur Tan Sri
Vincent Tan Chee Yioun was backing a new development to rise above the
Kelang River in Kuala Lumpur. Called KL Linear City the plan called for
a 24 year project that would consist of a 1.24 mile-long, 10-story,
tube-like structure. It was disclosed as a footnote in Malaysia’s 75
year plan released in April.
(WSJ, 7/11/96, p.A10)
1996 Aug 3-4, There was a
nationwide power blackout that lasted 16 hours in some areas.
(WSJ, 8/9/96, p.A5c)
1996 Sep 15, In Singapore all
120,000 internet subscribers will have to go through proxy servers
which will screen them from dozens of sites that contain nudity and
sexual topics.
(SFC, 8/15/96, p.B2)
1996 Dec 25, Tropical storm Greg
killed at least 163 people in the northern Borneo state of Sabah.
(WSJ, 12/27/96, p.A1)(SFC, 12/30/96, p.A8)
1996 Abdullah Sungkar (1999) and
Abu Bakar Baasyir, self-exiled Indonesian clerics, together with Riduan
Isamuddin, established Jemaah Islamiyah in Malaysia.
(WSJ, 1/15/03, p.A1)
1997 Jan, Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad went to Silicon Valley to describe a new "multimedia
supercorridor" which would include a new airport and two new cities
with high technology centers.
(Hem., 4/97, p.42)
1997 Feb 28, It was reported that
the Dayaks were killing the Madurans in the rain forest of West
Kalimantan, Borneo. The indigenous Dayaks had killed as many as 300
Madurans in fierce hand combat after a peace treaty was broken. The
Madurans were moved in by the government from an overpopulated area.
(SFC, 2/28/97, p.A16)
1997 May 12, It was reported that
the Pudu Prison in Kuala Lumpur was opened as a public attraction last
week. It was scheduled to be demolished in 6 months.
(WSJ, 5/12/97, p.B1)
1997 Sep, American billionaire
George Soros, vilified by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad as the cause
of the national financial crises, defended himself and called his
accuser "a menace to his own country."
(SFC, 9/22/97, p.A10)
1997 Oct 1, Asian currencies dived
in foreign exchange markets in part because of comments by Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir: "I would like to suggest that we do away with
trade in currency as a commodity."
(WSJ, 10/2/97, p.A12)
1997 Dec 8, The Rupiah dropped 10%
on rumors that Pres. Suharto had suffered a stroke.
(WSJ, 12/10/97, p.A16)
1997 Dec 19, A Singapore operated
Boeing 737 jet crashed by the Musi River north of Palembang on its
flight from Jakarta to Singapore. All 104 people on board were feared
dead.
(SFC,12/20/97, p.A10)
1997 Malaysia banned the export of
sand hurting Singapore’s efforts to secure supplies for its booming
construction industry and sea-fill plans. Indonesia followed suit in
2007 and caused a surge in the price of sand.
(Econ, 10/10/09, p.46)
1997 In Malaysia a virus struck
the village of Nipah and killed 105 people, most of whom were involved
in the hog-farming industry. Some 1.2 million hogs were destroyed and
the Nipah virus epidemic ran its course over 7 months. The epidemic was
later related to burning rain forests and bats seeking new food sources
that passed the virus to pigs that passed it to humans. Most animals
recovered but it was lethal to 40% of humans.
(SFC, 9/28/99, p.A9)(SFC, 5/29/00, p.A4)(WSJ,
6/19/03, p.A1)
1997 In Indonesia fires originally
set by developers to clear forest for palm plantations in Borneo and
Sumatra ran out of control and darkened skies across much of Indonesia,
Malaysia and Singapore. The World Bank estimated that 8% of total
global emission of greenhouse gases for the year were due to the fires.
(Econ, 3/25/06, p.74)
1998 Mar 15, Random drug testing
at all Malaysian schools was to be instituted with urine testing
equipment.
(SFC, 3/16/98, p.A9)
1998 Mar 26, Riots flared in 4
detention camps that housed mainly Indonesian illegal immigrants. The
Internal Security Act allowed the detention without trial of people
caught helping illegals. 8 inmates and one policeman were killed. Over
200 inmates escaped from one camp.
(WSJ, 3/27/98, p.A10)
1998 Apr 21, Skydivers from
Malaysia parachuted the national car, the Proton Wira sedan, onto the
North Pole this week.
(SFC, 4/23/98, p.A13)
1998 Sep, Malaysia was scheduled
to host the Commonwealth Games.
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.T3)
1998 Jun 27, The new $3.61 bil
airport in Sepang north of Kuala Lumpur was scheduled to open. The new
$2.25 [$2.5] billion int’l. airport covered 25,000 acres and was opened
by King Tuanku Jaafar.
(WSJ, 8/30/96, p.B8B)(SFEC, 6/28/98, p.A17)
1998 Jun 30, In Malaysia the new
Kuala Lumpur Int’l. Airport (KLIA) began operations.
(SFEC, 7/5/98, p.T3)(Econ, 2/7/09, p.35)
1998 Sep 1, Capital controls were
imposed on the stock market. Foreigners holding stocks were not allowed
to take their money out of the country for one year. Dr. Mahathir
ordered that the austerity measures of Anwar Ibrahim be rolled back.
(WSJ, 9/8/98, p.A14)(WSJ, 10/30/98, p.A11)
1998 Sep 2, Malaysia PM Mahathir
Mohamad ousted deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim after the deputy
disagreed with the free-spending policies of his boss.
(SFC, 9/21/98, p.A12)(SFC, 9/22/98, p.A7)
1998 Sep 7, The market index rose
22.5%.
(WSJ, 9/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Sep 8, The market index fell
a record 21.5%, 95.5 points to 349.56. A regulatory reprieve gave
foreigners their first chance to sell since capital controls were
imposed on Sep 1.
(WSJ, 9/8/98, p.A14)
1998 Sep 9, The reprieve to sell
stock under the old rules was withdrawn. The market closed at 389.65.
(WSJ, 9/10/98, p.A19)
1998 Sep 20, In Malaysia Anwar
Ibrahim (51) was jailed following charges of sexual hijinks. His arrest
coincided with protests calling for the resignation of the prime
minister and with the end of the competition of the Commonwealth Games
and a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Ibrahim was beaten by police
chief Abdul Rahim Noor. Noor was sentenced to 2 months in prison for
the assault in 2000.
(SFC, 9/21/98, p.A12)(SFC, 3/15/00, p.A10)
1998 Sep 21, In Malaysia thousands
of protestors clashed with police as the finale to the Commonwealth
Games proceeded. The Suaram human rights group said that 34 people were
arrested.
(SFC, 9/22/98, p.A7)
1998 Sep 25, In Malaysia Abdul
Malek was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA), at the height
of the "Reformasi" (Reforms) demonstrations following the sacking and
arrest of deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. In 2007 a Malaysian
court awarded Malek 740,000 dollars for his wrongful arrest and assault
in custody. It was the first time that a Malaysian court had awarded
significant compensation for illegal detention and abuse.
(AFP, 10/18/07)
1998 Sep 27, In Malaysia about
10,000 people gathered in Kuala Lumpur to protests a crackdown on
dissent by the Mahathir regime.
(WSJ, 9/28/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct 17, In Malaysia Azizah
Ismail, wife of Anwar Ibrahim, joined some ten thousand protestors
demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Mohamad.
(SFEC, 10/18/98, p.A20)
1998 Nov 2, In Malaysia the
sex-and-politics trial of Anwar Ibrahim began.
(SFC, 11/2/98, p.A14)
1998 Nov 14, In Malaysia thousands
gathered to criticize Prime Minister Mahathir as world leaders gathered
for the 6th APEC forum.
(SFEC, 11/15/98, p.A17)
1998 Nov 16, VP Al Gore spoke in
Malaysia at the APEC conference and accused the government of
suppressing freedom.
(SFC, 11/18/98, p.C2)
1998 Dec 9, Azizan Abu Bakar, the
ex-driver of Anwar Ibrahim, repeated in court his allegation that he
was sodomized by Ibrahim in 1992.
(SFC, 12/10/98, p.C7)
1998 The 1,482-foot Petronas
Towers were completed in Kuala Lumpur as the world’s tallest buildings.
They were built by Petroliam Nasional, Malaysia’s national oil company.
The twin buildings stood 88-stories with 241-foot spires. They stood 29
feet taller than the Sears Building in Chicago, and remained the
tallest in the world until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers)(SFC, 12/31/00,
p.B2)(Econ, 10/10/09, p.69)
1998 In Malaysia the government of
PM Mahathir Mohamad pegged the ringgit at 3.80 at to the dollar in
order to bring stability to the economy.
(Econ, 4/10/04, p.64)
1998 Hong Kong suffered a slump in
GDP of over 6% as did Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
(Econ, 11/22/08, p.51)
1998 In Malaysia pirate attacks
rose to 67 as compared to 51 in 1997.
(SFC, 2/4/99, p.A12)
1999 Jan 5, Malaysia admitted that
former Deputy Premier Anwar was beaten by police after his arrest in
September.
(WSJ, 1/6/99, p.A1)
1999 Jan 7, Police inspector
general Abdul Rahim Noor announced his resignation effective Jan 8.
(SFC, 1/8/99, p.A16)
1999 Jan 8, In Malaysia Prime
Minister Mahathir named Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (59) as his heir apparent.
(SFC, 1/9/99, p.A14)
1999 Mar 18, In Malaysia an
outbreak of encephalitis caused a order for the extermination of 64,000
pigs and the evacuation of 11,000 people.
(SFC, 3/19/99, p.A14)
1999 Mar 21, In Malaysia soldiers
began killing the pig population to control an outbreak of Japanese
encephalitis. The number of pigs to be killed rose to at least one
million.
(SFC, 3/22/99, p.A11)(WSJ, 3/29/99, p.A1)
1999 Mar, Malaysia gave the green
light for the development of the Port Klang Free Zone as a regional
trans-shipment hub to rival Singapore. After 10 years the project was
stalled and close to default with cost overruns at $987 million.
(Econ, 9/5/09, p.47)
1999 Apr 4, In Malaysia Azizah
Ismail, the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, announced the formation of the
National Justice Party and called on opposition forces to topple Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
(SFC, 4/5/99, p.A9)
1999 Apr 8, In Malaysia it was
reported that some 111 people had died in the last 6 months from a new
virus that was believed to be spreading from pigs to humans.
(SFC, 4/9/99, p.A16)
1999 Apr 13, In Malaysia Anwar
Ibrahim was convicted on 4 charges of corruption by High Court Judge
Augustine Paul. He was sentenced to 6 years on each charge with the
sentences to run concurrently.
(SFC, 4/14/99, p.A14)
1999 May 3, It was reported that
Prime Minister Mahathir said that his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
would succeed him after elections in 2000.
(WSJ, 5/3/99, p.A1)
1999 Jul 8, In Malaysia Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad unveiled phase one of Cyberjaya, a futuristic
high-tech city expected to cost some $5.3 billion.
(SFC, 7/9/99, p.D2)
1999 Sep 10, Anwar Ibrahim was
hospitalized after lawyers claimed that he had been poisoned with
arsenic. Ibrahim had lost 26 lbs and suffered hair loss, numbness in
his fingers, erratic blood pressure and migraines.
(SFC, 10/6/99, p.C16)
1999 Sep 19, In Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, over 10,000 people protested against PM Mahathir Mohamad on
the one-year anniversary of the arrest of ex-Deputy Premier Anwar
Ibrahim, who was reported to be suffering from arsenic poisoning.
Police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Protesters wore red
and adopted the battle cry of “reformasi” from neighboring Indonesia.
(SFC, 9/20/99, p.A9)(WSJ, 9/20/99, p.A1)(Econ,
11/17/07, p.53)
1999 Oct 5, A judge ordered the
sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim to proceed and said medical tests showed
no evidence of arsenic poisoning.
(SFC, 10/6/99, p.C16)
1999 Oct 11, Murray Hiebert,
Canadian journalist, was released after 4 weeks in jail. He had been
sentenced to 6 weeks for a 1997 article about a court case.
(WSJ, 10/12/99, p.A21)
1999 Nov 9, In northern Malaysia
Carolyn Janice Ahmad (35) was allegedly killed as a sacrifice to obtain
lottery tips from the Hindu goddess Kali. Her skeletal remains were
discovered in a shallow grave at an oil palm plantation in June 2001.
In 2004 a court acquitted 3 Malaysians charged with killing the
American woman
(AP, 8/16/04)
1999 Nov 11, In Malaysia Prime
Minister Mahathir (73) dissolved parliament and planned early
elections.
(SFC, 11/11/99, p.A24)
1999 Nov 29, The Election
Committee set this date for the elections. Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad and His ruling National Front coalition won over a two-thirds
majority in Parliament. Wan Azizah Ismail, wife of Anwar Ibrahim, led
the newly formed National Justice Party (Keadilan) and won her husbands
former seat. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Pas), whose leaders favor
strict Islamic law, tripled its seats, won control of Trengganu state
and kept control of Kelantan state.
(SFC, 11/13/99, p.A12)
1999 King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz
assumed the throne as the nation’s 11th king since independence in
1957. He introduced a rotating royalty system whereby the sultans of
the 9 states choose the king by secret ballot. Each sultan than takes a
turn as monarch for 5 years.
(SFC, 11/22/01, p.A29)
1999 Malaysia began moving
government departments from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, its new
11,300-acre $5.3 billion administrative capital, 25 miles away.
(SSFC, 7/18/04, p.D12)
1999 Malaysiakini, an independent
online newspaper in Malaysia, was founded as a free site. In 2002 it
was forced to start charging for use.
(Econ, 3/15/08, p.52)
2000 Jan, In Malaysia terrorists
held a meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The US CIA informed the FBI that Khalid
Al-Midhar had a US visa. Midhar was later one of the Sep 11, 2001,
terrorists.
(SFC, 6/4/02, p.A10)
2000 Mar 13, CBS began filming its
"Survivor" show on the Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga. Filming lasted
to April 20 and the last survivor was to be awarded a $1 million prize.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.C15)
2000 Apr 23, Philippine gunmen
abducted 20 people from a Malaysian resort on Sipadan Island. Islamic
insurgents took credit for the attack. They later freed 2 hostages and
demanded $2.4 million in ransom for 19 captives.
(SFC, 4/25/00, p.A10)(WSJ, 4/27/00, p.A1)(SFC,
7/15/00, p.A13)
2000 Apr 29, In Malaysia a court
upheld the 1999 corruption conviction against former finance minister
Anwar Ibrahim.
(SFEC, 4/30/00, p.A17)
2000 Apr, Steven Gan (35) founded
Malaysiakini.com, an online newspaper.
(SFC, 4/18/00, p.A8)
2000 Jul 6, In Malaysia commandos
ended a 4-day standoff and forced the surrender of 27 militants of
Al-Ma’unah (Brotherhood of Inner Power), led by Amin Razali. 2
non-Muslim hostages were slain in the process. 19 cult members were
found guilty Dec 27, 2001.
(SFC, 7/7/00, p.D6)(SFEC, 8/13/00, p.B9)(SFC,
12/28/01, p.A4)
2000 Aug 8, Anwar Ibrahim, former
deputy prime minister, was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to 9 years
in prison. Sukma Dermawan, Ibrahim’s codefendant and adopted brother,
was also found guilty.
(SFC, 8/8/00, p.A11)
2000 Aug 8, Some 29 members of the
Al-Ma’unah Islamic sect were charged with treason for the July looting
of 2 army camps in Perak.
(SFEC, 8/13/00, p.B9)
2000 Aug 22, In Sarawak 15 people
including 13 children were killed when a tractor-trailer rig collided
with a school van.
(SFC, 8/24/00, p.A13)
2000 Aug 23, The final winner of
the "Survivor" TV contest set on Pulau Tiga island was broadcast to as
many as 40-50 million viewers. Richard Hatch (39), a corporate trainer
from Newport, R.I., won the $1 million grand prize. In 2006 Hatch was
convicted on three counts related to tax evasion and was sentenced to
51 months in Federal prison plus three years of supervised probation.
(SFC, 8/23/00, p.A1)(SFC, 8/24/00,
p.A1)(http://tinyurl.com/4sna5j)
2000 Aug, 78 4-man teams in the
Eco-Challenge Sabah encountered flooded rivers over a 2-week race in
Malaysian Borneo. A number later found themselves infected with
leptospirosis.
(SFC, 9/15/00, p.A12)
2000 Sep 10, Abu Sayyaf rebels
kidnapped 3 men from Pandanan Island off Borneo and took them to Jolo
island in the Philippines.
(WSJ, 9/12/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov 5, In Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, thousands of people protested the rule of Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad.
(SFC, 11/6/00, p.A15)
2000 Nov 24, It was reported that
recent monsoon flooding killed 10 people in Malaysia and at least 5
people in Thailand. The death toll from flooding in Thailand reached
over 30, mostly children. At least 49 died from mudslides in West
Sumatra.
(SFC, 11/24/00, p.D8)(WSJ, 11/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov, A Malaysian politician
was assassinated. The militant group Jemaah Islamiyah was believed to
be involved.
(WSJ, 8/13/02, p.A14)
2000 Dec 31, 15 parachutists
planned to leap from the Petronas Towers just before midnight and land
in the new year.
(SFC, 12/31/00, p.B2)
2001 Mar 11, Ethnic violence
between Malays and ethnic Indians continued for a 4th day. Five people
were killed in the last 4 days.
(SFC, 3/12/01, p.A15)
2001 Apr 10, Malaysia arrested at
least 4 opposition leaders as the 2 year anniversary approached of
jailed former Deputy Premier Anwar’s conviction.
(WSJ, 4/11/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 25, The government
accused Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz (34), an Islamic school teacher, for
plotting to overthrow the government. His father served as the chief
minister of Kelantan state. Nik Adli allegedly belonged to the Kumpulan
Mujahideen Malaysia militant group.
(WSJ, 9/26/01, p.A16)
2001 Nov 21, King Salahuddin Abdul
Aziz died at age 75.
(SFC, 11/22/01, p.A29)
2001 Dec 8, Malaysian authorities
said that would expand a policy of caning illegal immigrants to include
1st-time offenders.
(SSFC, 12/9/01, p.A18)
2001 A Malaysia bank introduced a
corporate bond that complied with Islamic prohibitions on interest. The
bonds were benchmarked to interest rates, but technically based on
profit sharing, leasing or trading By 2007 the global Islamic
bond market reached an estimated $50 billion in outstanding securities.
(WSJ, 4/4/07, p.A1)
2001 Tony Fernandez (b.1964),
Malaysian entrepreneur, acquired AirAsia and soon re-launched it as a
low-cost domestic carrier with 2 B737 planes purchased from a Malaysian
conglomerate. Ryanair signed on with a 5% stake. By 2009 the company
had 76 planes. By the end of 2004 the low cost airline planned to have
30 planes.
(Econ, 3/13/04, p.63)(Econ, 2/7/09, p.35)(Econ,
3/21/09, p.72)(http://tinyurl.com/cxf3hz)
2002 Jan 6, It was reported that
Malaysia authorities had arrested 13 suspected members of extremist
groups since Dec 9 with possible links to the Sep 11 attacks.
(SSFC, 1/6/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 12, Malaysia announced
the arrests of 2 more suspected militants tied to al Qaeda and linked
to a cell in Singapore.
(SSFC, 1/13/02, p.A11)
2002 May, Malaysia’s PM Mahathir
Mohamed met with Pres. Bush in Washington, DC. In 2006 it was revealed
that lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid $1.2 million to organize the
meeting. Mahathir later said that at the time he had been persuaded by
the Heritage Foundation to meet with Bush because the conservative
think tank believed he could help "influence (Bush) in some way
regarding US policies."
(AP, 2/21/06)
2002 Jun 23, In Malaysia Fadzil
Noor, the leader of the main opposition, Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS),
died after failing to recover from emergency heart surgery nearly two
weeks ago.
(Reuters, 6/23/02)
2002 Jun 25, Malaysia's ruling
party said on Tuesday Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, one of Asia's
longest-serving leaders, will hand power to his deputy late next year
in a move investors praised as an orderly transition.
(Reuters, 6/25/02)
2002 Jul 2, Malaysia said it had
not reached any new agreements with Singapore on the sale of water to
the island state and other issues after two days of talks.
(Reuters, 7/2/02)
2002 Jul 31, Thousands of illegal
immigrants headed for Malaysia's ports to meet a midnight deadline for
them to leave the country or risk a caning.
(Reuters, 7/31/02)
2002 Aug 2, Australia and Malaysia
signed a counter-terrorism pact which pledged them to work together to
fight suspected Islamic militants in the region.
(Reuters, 8/2/02)
2002 Aug 31, Malaysia said it has
agreed to temporarily halt deportation of Filipino workers and their
families amid public outrage over reports of their mistreatment.
(Reuters, 8/31/02)
2002 Sep 7, Indonesian officials
say 35 deportees from Malaysia have died at sprawling makeshift camps
in Borneo as they await the arrival of a navy vessel bringing medical
help.
(Reuters, 9/7/02)
2002 Nov 4, China signed a
landmark agreement with Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Malaysia,
Phillipines, Vietnam) on avoiding open conflict in the disputed South
China Sea Spratly Islands. Indonesia objected and Taiwan was barred
from signing.
(Reuters, 11/4/02)(Econ, 5/22/04, p.40)
2002 Dec 17, Malaysia won control
of two tiny palm-fringed islands when the World Court ruled in its
favor in a long-running dispute with Indonesia.
(Reuters, 12/17/02)
2002 Abdul Razak Baginda helped
Malaysia negotiate the purchase of French submarines.
(WSJ, 3/29/07, p.A13)
2002 Oil was found in 4,400 feet
of water off the coast of Sabah state in Borneo, Malaysia. The filed
dubbed Kikeh was contested by Brunei.
(WSJ, 6/27/03, p.A11)
2003 Feb 25, In Malaysia a
summit of 116 developing countries suspicious of US military dominance
united behind calls to give Baghdad more time to disarm.
(AP, 2/25/03)
2003 May 24, Malaysia PM Mahathir
Mohamad met with Brunei's 29th Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin
Waddaulah to address the issue of the Kikeh oil find off Borneo.
(WSJ, 6/27/03, p.A11)(SSFC, 6/28/03, p.C6)
2003 Jun 25, The Malaysia
Parliament passed a post secondary school National Service Bill to
encourage nation building by integrating participants in a state-run
summer camp.
(Econ, 10/23/04, p.44)
2003 cAug 4, Pres. Putin visited
Malaysia to seal a $900 million sale of Sukhoi fighter jets and tout
Russia's liberal sale policies.
(WSJ, 8/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 10, Pirates in the Strait
of Malacca struck a small tanker near the Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur.
They looted the ship and took it into Indonesia waters and sought
$100,000 ransom for the top 3 officers.
(SFC, 8/15/03, p.A8)
2003 Sep 29, In Malaysia PM
Mahathir Mohamad presided at the inauguration of the Berjaya Times
Square, a $460 million project that was derailed by the 1997-98 Asian
financial crises.
(AP, 9/29/03)
2003 Oct 5, In Malaysian Borneo
armed kidnappers riding in a speedboat raided a remote resort, seizing
six people before escaping.
(AP, 10/6/03)
2003 Oct 11, In Malaysia delegates
from Islamic nations gathered in the new administrative capital of
Putrajaya with Iraq as a center piece of discussion.
(SSFC, 10/11/03, p.A3)
2003 Oct 16, Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a summit of Islamic leaders that "Jews
rule the world by proxy" and the world's 1.3 billion Muslims should
unite, using nonviolent means for a "final victory."
(AP, 10/16/03)
2003 Oct 20, President Bush
personally condemned the Malaysian prime minister for his statement
that Jews rule the world, pulling Mahathir Mohamad aside at an
international economic meeting to tell him the remarks were "wrong and
divisive."
(AP, 10/20/03)
2003 Oct 31, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
became Malaysia's first new prime minister in a generation, succeeding
Mahathir Mohamad.
(AP, 10/31/03)
2003 Nov 30, In Malaysia 2
passenger buses collided on a windy road in the Kuala Lipis district,
killing at least 14 people.
(AP, 11/30/03)
2004 Jan 7, Najib Razak, a veteran
politician, was named as Malaysia's deputy PM.
(AP, 1/7/04)
2004 Jan 13, Thai and Malaysian
military forces began joint land and air patrols along their jungle
border for the first time since the 1970s.
(AP, 1/14/04)
2004 Jan 27, In Malaysia an
Iranian asylum seeker set himself on fire in an apparent suicide
attempt outside the Kuala Lumpur headquarters of the UN refugee agency.
(AP, 1/27/04)
2004 Feb 9, In Malaysia
anti-corruption officers arrested the former head of scandal-plagued
steel company Perwaja.
(AP, 2/9/04)
2004 Feb 12, Malaysia's land
minister was arrested and charged for his involvement a deal to sell
millions of dollars worth of shares his government agency owned in the
second high-profile anti-corruption case this week amid a government
crackdown.
(AP, 2/12/04)
2004 Mar 3, Malaysia's new PM
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called a snap national election that will pit the
long-ruling secular coalition government against a fundamentalist
Islamic opposition.
(AP, 3/3/04)
2004 Mar 21, Elections were held
in Malaysia. An Islamic leader implied that those who backed government
candidates would go to hell. Malaysia's secular government won a
sweeping victory in two Muslim-dominated states and looked headed for a
nationwide rout of the fundamentalist Islamic opposition.
(WSJ, 3/8/04, p.A1)(AP, 3/21/04)
2004 Mar 22, In Malaysia Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi was sworn in as prime minister, a day after scoring a
landslide election victory that handed the fundamentalist Islamic
opposition its worst defeat in more than a decade. The national Front
Coalition won 199 out of 219 seats in parliament.
(AP, 3/22/04)(Econ, 11/17/07, p.53)
2004 Apr 7, In Malaysia 3 men
armed with firebombs, machetes and an ax attacked Myanmar's embassy,
hacking one senior official and starting a fire that destroyed the
building.
(AP, 4/7/04)
2004 May 28, Malaysia issued a
detention order for Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, a Sri Lankan businessman, on
charges that in 2002 he brought 7 Libyan technicians to Malaysia to be
trained to operate machines to produce centrifuge parts for Libya’s
nuclear weapons program. Tahir was a key associate of Abdul Qadeer
Khan, former head of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program.
(WSJ, 6/4/04, p.A10)
2004 Aug 31, The $4 million film
“Princess of Mount Ledang,” directed by Saw Teong Hin, opened on
Malaysia’s 47th anniversary of independence.
(SFC, 8/26/04, p.E5)
2004 Sep 2, Anwar Ibrahim was set
free after his sodomy conviction was overturned by Malaysia's highest
court. This was six years to the day after the one-time heir apparent
to the country's premiership plunged into a divisive fight with his
political mentor.
(AP, 9/2/04)
2004 Sep 15, Malaysia declared its
entire northern Kelantan state a quarantine zone to halt the spread of
bird flu.
(AP, 9/15/04)
2004 Azman Mokhtar was appointed
as head of Khazana, a Malaysian government passive holding company,
with a mission to overhaul some 40 partially state-owned firms.
(Econ, 8/20/05, p.50)
2005 Jan 1, Malaysia was forecast
for 4.7% annual GDP growth with a population at 25.9 million and GDP
per head at $4,750.
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.91)
2005 Feb 26, Malaysia's PM Badawi
told Proton to set its sights abroad as he launched the national
carmaker's 1.8 billion ringgit (474 million dollar) new manufacturing
plant.
(AP, 2/26/05)
2005 Apr 4, A minister said
Malaysia plans to hire 169,000 foreign workers to overcome an acute
labor shortage after a crackdown on illegal migrants.
(AP, 4/4/05)
2005 May 25, Japan and Malaysia
agreed to key elements of a free-trade pact, to be launched in
December, covering automobiles and most other economic sectors.
(WSJ, 5/26/05, p.A10)
2005 Jun 24, Malaysia's ruling
UMNO party suspended cabinet minister Isa Samad for six years for
corruption.
(AP, 6/25/05)
2005 Jun 29, In Malaysia Hamisa
Abu Hassan Saari (22) was arrested after police found some drugs on a
friend. A police officer secretly recorded her with a cell phone as she
was forced to strip and do squats, though she had no drugs. The
recording got on the Internet and led to a special commission that
denounced the police procedures and led to significant changes.
(SFC, 11/23/06, p.A34)
2005 Jul 3, Police in Malaysia
raided the compound of Ayah Pin, born as Ariffin Mohammad, in
Terengganu state, and arrested 21 followers. Pin claimed divinity as
the earthly incarnation of what he called the Sky Kingdom. The ruling
UMNO party tracks “deviant sects” and refuses to endorse the idea that
Muslims should interpret and observe their faith as they see fit.
(Econ, 7/25/05, p.34)
2005 Jul 4, In Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, UN agencies met for a 3-day conference on bird flu virus and
said the disease remains as dangerous as ever and nations must do more
to prepare for a pandemic among humans.
(AP, 7/4/05)
2005 Jul 18, Malaysia launched its
first bond fund on the stock exchange as part of an Asian scheme to
augment underdeveloped capital markets.
(AP, 7/18/05)
2005 Oct 9, It was reported that
dengue fever was causing concerns in Malaysia and Martinique. Malaysia
reported 71 deaths so far this year from over 27,000 cases. Martinique
reported almost 1,000 cases a week since mid-September.
(SSFC, 10/9/05, p.D2)
2005 Oct 19, Malaysia’s government
unveiled a policy draft to eliminate disparities in the treatment of
local and foreign auto makers.
(WSJ, 10/20/05, p.A13)
2005 Oct 21, Indonesian police
said they had arrested four people allegedly involved in smuggling
hundreds of pounds of explosive materials from Malaysia into Indonesia.
(AP, 10/21/05)
2005 Nov 19, It was reported that
the Nipah virus, naturally found in bats, had moved to Malaysian pigs.
It killed about 40% of the 265 people it had infected.
(Econ, 11/19/05, p.85)
2005 Nov 22, Ministers from the
114 members of the Nonaligned Movement ended a 2-day conference in
Malaysia and agreed to launch an Internet-based news network to counter
what they called prejudiced reporting by Western media. Bernama,
Malaysia’s state news agency, will oversee the network.
(WSJ, 11/23/05, p.A14)
2005 Dec 3, Malaysia's state media
said Southeast Asian lawmakers want Myanmar expelled from the ASEAN
regional grouping unless it frees democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political prisoners within a year.
(Reuters, 12/03/05)
2005 Dec 10, In Malaysia
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer signed the Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which calls for signatories not to
interfere in each other's internal affairs. The treaty was born within
the 10-member ASEAN, which made signing the pact a condition for entry
into next week's inaugural East Asian summit.
(AP, 12/10/05)
2005 Dec 14, The 1st East Asia
Summit was held successfully in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
(www.aseansec.org/18104.htm)(Econ, 12/17/05, p.40)
2005 The $5 billion Bakun Dam on
the Balui River was expected to be completed.
(SFC, 5/22/01, p.A10)
2006 Jan 15, In Malaysia a
homemade bomb filled with nails and bullet casings exploded outside a
shopping mall on Penang island, killing one man and injuring another.
(AP, 1/16/06)
2006 Jan 17, Subur Sugiarto, an
alleged key aide to a Malaysian fugitive blamed for a series of deadly
terrorist attacks in Indonesia, was captured in the central Javanese
town of Boyolali en route to Jakarta. A local officer alleged that
Sugiarto was "a henchman" of Noordin Top, who is believed to be a
senior member of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror group
Jemaah Islamiyah.
(AP, 1/19/06)
2006 Jan 27, Malaysian dissident
politician Anwar Ibrahim sued former PM Mahathir Mohamad for defamation
after Mahathir refused to apologize for calling him a homosexual.
(AP, 1/27/06)
2006 Feb 3, Malaysia's national
carmaker Proton renewed its alliance with Japan's Mitsubishi Motors
Corp. with a technical pact that involves jointly developing new
vehicles.
(AP, 2/3/06)
2006 Feb 9, President Bush
outlined details of an alleged plot to hijack an airliner and fly it
into a skyscraper in Los Angeles. The next day security officials and
terrorism experts in Southeast Asia said Malaysian engineer Zaini
Zakaria (38) was among three men al-Qaida was preparing to take part in
an attack on Los Angeles. Zaini has been detained without trial under
the Internal Security Act in Malaysia since he surrendered in December
2002.
(AP, 2/10/06)
2006 Feb 24, A prominent Malaysian
newspaper avoided punishment for publishing a cartoon about the Prophet
Muhammad drawings controversy, offering an apology that was accepted by
the government.
(AP, 2/24/06)
2006 Feb 28, The Malaysian
government sharply raised fuel prices to trim a ballooning fuel-subsidy
bill. Interest rates and inflation were expected to rise as a result.
(WSJ, 3/1/06, p.A7)
2006 Mar 5, Malaysian PM Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi launched an information offensive to counter public dismay
after the government imposed the country's biggest ever fuel price
hikes.
(AFP, 3/5/06)
2006 Mar 7, Malaysia said it has
lifted a ban on US beef imports in place for more than two years, to
make up for a shortage after it restricted access to Australian and New
Zealand beef.
(AFP, 3/7/06)
2006 Mar 8, Malaysia and the US
announced that they have agreed to begin negotiating a free trade deal
to eliminate trade barriers between the two nations.
(AP, 3/8/06)
2006 Mar 27, Malaysia’s government
said it will end subsidies to flag carrier Malaysia Airlines and let it
operate only 19 domestic routes, in competition with budget carrier
AirAsia, under a major restructuring that will shed thousands of jobs.
(AP, 3/27/06)
2006 Mar 31, Malaysia’s PM
Abdullah Badawi introduced a new 5-year plan. It hoped to slash the
poverty rate from 5.7% to 2.8% by 2010.
(Econ, 4/8/06, p.42)
2006 Apr 12, Malaysia abandoned
plans to build a controversial new bridge to Singapore, saying that the
city-state's demand for airspace access in return for its agreement was
unacceptable.
(AFP, 4/12/06)
2006 Apr 26, Malaysia’s central
bank raised its main interest rate by a quarter point to 3.5%.
(WSJ, 4/27/06, p.A8)
2006 May 25, PM John Howard
increased Australia’s contingent to Timor-Leste to some 1,300 troops.
500 Malaysians and troops from New Zealand and Portugal were also
deployed.
(Econ, 6/3/06, p.15)
2006 May 31, Malaysia’s PM
Abdullah Badawi announced a national 5-year plan. An elderly woman and
three children were feared dead following a landslide in Kuala Lumpur
that destroyed 43 homes.
(AFP, 5/31/06)(Econ, 6/17/06, p.50)
2006 Jul 14, Malaysia's government
declassified documents on negotiations with Singapore over an aborted
bridge in a bid to counter criticism from defiant ex-premier Mahathir
Mohamad.
(AFP, 7/14/06)
2006 Jul 24, A Malaysian princess
was stabbed to death by her son as she tried to stop him from attacking
her husband (74). The son (21) later died of an apparent drug overdose.
Tengku Puteri Kamariah, whose brother is Sultan Ahmad Shah, ruler of
the eastern state of Pahang, died at her home in Pekan town, Pahang.
(AP, 7/25/06)
2006 Aug 3, In Malaysia the
Islamic world's largest organization of countries demanded on that the
UN implement an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and investigate what it
called flagrant human rights violations by Israel.
(AP, 8/3/06)
2006 Aug 14, Malaysia said it
would issue a "big fat no" to any nation or group that asked it to
dismantle a system of positive discrimination for its majority ethnic
Malays as part of trade talks.
(AFP, 8/14/06)
2006 Aug 25, Japanese officials
said Kazusaku Tezuka, the president of precision instrument maker
Mitutoyo Corp., was arrested along with four other Mitutoyo executives
and employees for the alleged export to Malaysia of equipment that can
be used in making nuclear weapons.
(AP, 8/25/06)
2006 Oct 11, Indonesia apologized
to Singapore and Malaysia for the choking haze over both countries and
agreed to convene a meeting of regional environment ministers to tackle
the problem. This was the worst smog since 1997 and 1998, when tens of
thousands of people were hospitalized.
(AP, 10/11/06)(Econ, 10/14/06, p.47)
2006 Oct 19, In Malaysia Altantuya
Shaariibuu (28), a Mongolian model, was kidnapped outside the house of
Abdul Razak Baginda (46), who heads the Malaysian Strategic Research
Centre think-tank. Shaariibuu was allegedly extorting Baginda following
an affair that had begun in 2004. She was killed and her remains blown
up with military-grade C-4 explosives and later found in an isolated
area south of the capital Kuala Lumpur. In Nov. Malaysian PM Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi vowed there would be no cover-up over her murder. Abdul
Razak allegedly abetted two policemen, Azilah Hadri (30) and Sirul
Azhar Umar (35), to commit the murder. In 2008 a court acquitted Razak
of charges of abetting the murder of Shaariibuu. In 2009 a Malaysian
court sentenced two policemen to death on charges of murdering
Shaariibuu.
(AFP, 11/9/06)(AFP, 11/16/06)(WSJ, 3/29/07,
p.A1)(WSJ, 11/1/08, p.A8)(AP, 4/9/09)
2006 Nov 3, Sultan Mizan Zainal
Abidin (44), a sultan in northeastern Malaysia, was elected the
country's next constitutional monarch under a unique system where
traditional state rulers take turns on the throne for five years.
Mizan, whose state has significant offshore oil and gas resources, will
assume the throne on Dec. 13 as Malaysia's 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong,
the Malay title of the monarch.
(AP, 11/3/06)
2006 Nov 14, The ninth Chief of
Defense Forces' conference opened in Malaysia. It brought together
officials from 23 nations including the United States, France,
Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
(AP, 11/14/06)
2006 Nov 28, Malaysia's PM
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said ties between Muslims and Christians are
under "extreme stress" and the growing divide between the faiths is
threatening international stability.
(AP, 11/28/06)
2006 Dec 12, Malaysia's twelfth
king, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin (63), stepped down from his post after a
five-year reign to make way for the next monarch in a send-off steeped
in color and tradition.
(AP, 12/12/06)
2006 Dec 13, Malaysia's unique
revolving monarchy was passed to Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (44), the
youthful sultan of oil-rich Terengganu state. Mizan was a keen rider
who has represented his country at international equestrian events.
(AFP, 12/13/06)
2006 Dec 18, Venezuela's ruling
party took the first step Monday toward creating a single
pro-government party, a move opponents criticized as a push to
consolidate more power in the hands of President Hugo Chavez after his
landslide re-election. Chavez met with Malaysia's PM Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi to discuss expanding trade and deepening ties.
(AP, 12/18/06)
2006 Dec 20, Officials said
flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains has forced more than 20,000
people to flee their homes in the southern Malaysian state of Johor.
(AP, 12/20/06)
2006 Dec 23, Officials in Malaysia
said 7 people had died and more than 90,000 displaced during the last
week as the country recorded heavy rainfall.
(AP, 12/23/06)
2006 Dec 24, Officials said at
least 94 people were killed and dozens left missing by floods in
Indonesia and Malaysia. Looting broke out in areas of Malaysia
abandoned because of rising waters.
(AP, 12/24/06)
2006 Malaysia’s northern state of
Terengganu counted 5 leatherback turtle nests, as compared to some 6-10
thousand 50 years earlier and 800 in 1984. Local eating of the turtle
eggs and ocean fishing were said to account for the drop. In 2007
experts considered cloning to raise the turtle count.
(Econ, 7/21/07, p.43)
2006 In Malaysia the murder rate
this year increased 22%.
(Econ, 3/24/07, p.47)
2007 Jan 24, A study released
about the trade in Malaysia found that catches of some grouper species
and the endangered Napoleon wrasse fell by as much as 99% between 1995
to 2003, a period coinciding with soaring economic growth in countries
where the exotic fish are a delicacy.
(AP, 1/24/07)
2007 Feb 2, Malaysia said it is
ready to halt free trade talks with the United States after a US
lawmaker called for a suspension in protest over an energy deal with
Iran signed in January.
(AFP, 2/2/07)
2007 Feb 21, Human Rights Watch
condemned Malaysia's plan to introduce tough laws that curb the
movements of migrant employees and allow employers "to lock up workers."
(AP, 2/21/07)
2007 Feb 22, A court ordered
Malaysia's government to pay a 69-year-old British man $857,000 for
seizing his passport and preventing him from leaving the country in
Dec, 1981.
(AP, 2/23/07)
2007 Feb 26, Malaysia's securities
watchdog said it has frozen two local bank accounts, shut down two Web
sites and questioned several people suspected to be involved in a
global Internet investment scam. In March 3 men were indicted by the US
for securities fraud. The indictment named Jaisankar Marimuthu (32) of
India, Thirugnanam Ramanathan (34), an Indian residing in Malaysia, and
Chockalingam Ramanathan (33) of Chennai, India. The 1st two were
arrested in Hong Kong, while the 3rd remained at large.
(AP, 2/26/07)(WSJ, 3/13/07, p.B5)
2007 Feb 27, A report said
Malaysian environmental and residents' groups are joining forces to buy
swathes of forest in a desperate bid to save them from developers.
(AFP, 2/27/07)
2007 Mar 15, The European
Commission and the UN Development Program said Malaysia should empower
its forest-dependent indigenous people to alleviate poverty and
safeguard their environment.
(AP, 3/15/07)
2007 Mar 22, Malaysia and Thailand
agreed to map out a series of socio-economic measures to end rising
sectarian tensions and violence in the kingdom's insurgency-wracked
south.
(AFP, 3/22/07)
2007 Mar 27, The US offered a $5
million reward for information leading to the capture of a US-trained
Malaysian engineer accused of involvement in a series of deadly
bombings in the Philippines.
(AP, 3/27/07)
2007 Mar 31, A report said
Malaysia's top anti-corruption official, who is facing a police
investigation into graft allegations against him, will not have his
contract renewed.
(AP, 3/31/07)
2007 Apr 7, Malaysian ministers
issued fresh attacks on bloggers, threatening to take away their rights
and accusing them of trying to overthrow the government, according to
reports.
(AFP, 4/7/07)
2007 Apr 13, In Malaysia the
Negeri Sembilan state government closed down a museum exhibition on
ghosts, ghouls and supernatural beings after Islamic clerics claimed it
was detrimental to Muslims' faith.
(AP, 4/14/07)
2007 Apr 26, Sultan Mizan Zainal
Abidin, Malaysia's 13th king, formally ascended the throne, pledging to
reign wisely and safeguard the sanctity of Islam in a ceremony marked
by traditional Malay rites and imperial pageantry. Malaysia's system
allows each of its hereditary state rulers to take turns reigning as
the country's constitutional monarch for five years each.
(AP, 4/26/07)
2007 May 1, It was reported that
Malaysian doctors have declared neckties a health hazard and called on
the heath ministry to stop insisting that physicians wear them.
(Reuters, 5/1/07)
2007 May 10, The armed forces of
Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to step up cooperation to boost security
along shared borders after successful patrols in the Malacca Strait.
(AFP, 5/10/07)
2007 May 14, Malaysia’s PM Badawi
hosted Singapore’s Premier Lee Hsein Lloong for a 2-day talk on
economic cooperation.
(WSJ, 5/14/07, p.A8)
2007 May 30, Malaysia's top civil
court rejected a woman's appeal to be recognized as a Christian, in a
landmark case that tested the limits of religious freedom in this
moderate Islamic country. A three-judge Federal Court panel ruled by a
2-1 majority that only the Islamic Shariah Court has the power to allow
her to remove the word "Islam" from the religion category on her
government identity card. Judge Richard Malanjum, the only non-Muslim
on the panel, sided with Lina Joy, saying it was "unreasonable" to ask
her to turn to the Shariah Court because she could face criminal
prosecution there.
(AP, 5/30/07)
2007 Jun 12, A senior official
said security cameras are monitoring government workers in northeastern
Malaysia to keep them from slacking off or vanishing for extended tea
breaks.
(AP, 6/12/07)
2007 Jul 17, Najib Razak,
Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, said Malaysia is an Islamic state and
not a secular one, while carefully assuring members of minority faiths
that their rights will be protected. More than 60% of Malaysia's 27
million people are Muslim Malays and Islam is the official religion
under the country's constitution. But while the constitution defines
the ethnic majority Malays as Muslims it also guarantees freedom of
religion.
(AFP, 7/17/07)
2007 Aug 13, In Malaysia 20 people
died after an express bus overturned on the main highway, tearing off
the vehicle's roof and flinging seats into the air in what officials
said was the country's worst traffic disaster. The toll rose to 22
after 2 injured people died later.
(AP, 8/13/07)(AP, 8/20/07)
2007 Aug 13, Armed pirates
attacked a Malaysian barge in the Malacca Strait and kidnapped 2
Indonesian crew, in the first high sea abduction in the busy waterway
in more than 2 years.
(AP, 8/14/07)
2007 Sep 8, A late night riot
broke out in Malaysia’s northeastern state of Terengganu after a group
of opposition parties, including the main Islamist party, held an
illegal rally. Malaysian police fired live rounds to quell the riot
wounding two men.
(Reuters, 9/9/07)
2007 Oct 10, A Russian rocket
blasted off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur launch pad, carrying 3
astronauts to the international space station. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor,
an orthopedic surgeon and university lecturer from Kuala Lumpur, left
Earth alongside Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and American
astronaut Peggy Whitson. Shukor was selected from among 11,000
Malaysian candidates to fly aboard the ISS in a deal his government
arranged with Russia as part of a $1 billion purchase of Russian
fighter jets. Whitson will be the first woman to command the outpost.
(Reuters, 9/20/07)(AP, 10/10/07)(SFC, 10/11/07, p.A8)
2007 Oct 23,
Lim Goh Tong (b.1918), Chinese businessman, died in Kuala Lumpur.
The casino king of Malaysia had made a fortune in gambling casinos and
a cruise fleet. His family fortune was estimated at $4.2 billion.
(AP, 10/23/07)(WSJ, 10/27/07, p.A6)
2007 Nov 6, Singapore presented
its case regarding sovereignty of three disputed islands in the Pacific
Ocean at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, a claim
disputed by Malaysia.
(AFP, 11/6/07)
2007 Nov 10, Malaysian police
unleashed tear gas and water cannons on protesters as tens of
thousands, wearing canary-yellow shirts, defied a government ban and
rallied in Kuala Lumpur to call for clean and fair elections in the
biggest anti-government street protests in nearly a decade. Some 245
people were detained.
(AP, 11/10/07)(AP, 11/11/07)(Econ, 11/17/07, p.53)
2007 Nov 11, Proton, Malaysia’s
national car maker, said it planned to team up with companies in Iran
and Turkey to produce "Islamic cars" for the global market.
(http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/12/news/international/bc.mi.malaysia.islamicc.ap/)
2007 Nov 25, In Malaysia some
10-20 thousand ethnic Indians clashed with police at a rally in
downtown Kuala Lumpur to demand economic equality.
(AP, 11/27/07)(AP, 12/16/07)
2007 Dec 5, A Tibetan woman said
that she pulled out of a beauty pageant in Malaysia after organizers,
reacting to pressure from Beijing, told her halfway through the event
that she could only participate if she added "China" to her "Miss
Tibet" title.
(AP, 12/6/07)
2007 Dec 13, Malaysia said it has
arrested five leaders of ethnic Indian rights group Hindraf under
controversial security laws that allow for detention without trial.
(AFP, 12/13/07)
2007 Dec 16, Malaysia’s Premier
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi intervened to head off rising anger among the
Southeast Asian country's ethnic Indian population after a rare public
rally on Nov 25 led to violent clashes with police.
(AP, 12/16/07)
2007 Dec 24, Malaysia's government
unveiled a major initiative to protect Hindu temples, hoping to pacify
ethnic Indians who complain that hundreds of their places of worship
have been demolished in this Muslim-majority country.
(AP, 12/24/07)
2007 Dec 26, Iran and Malaysia
signed a $16 billion agreement to develop two Iranian gas fields, in a
deal described as the largest energy contract in Iran.
(AP, 12/26/07)
2007 The population of Malaysia
numbered about 27 million people.
(Econ, 6/2/07, p.42)
2008 Jan 5, Malaysia’s New Straits
Times said Malaysian police have arrested a beauty parlor owner and a
farmer suspected of distributing a sex video showing a former Health
Minister Chua Soi Lek committing adultery. Soi Lek resigned Jan 2 after
admitting he was the man in the video.
(AP, 1/5/08)
2008 Jan 23, In Malaysia tens of
thousands of ethnic Indian Malaysians gathered at the Batu Caves temple
outside Kuala Lumpur to celebrate Thaipusam, one of Hinduism’s biggest
festivals. In past years over a million have turned out. The reduced
turnout was due to a boycott called by the Hindu rights Action Force
(Hindraf), despite PM Badawi’s promise to make Thaipusam a public
holiday in the capital.
(Econ, 1/26/08, p.42)
2008 Jan 26, Malaysian police
detained 53 activists in a crackdown on a planned opposition-led
protest over inflation ahead of national elections expected within
weeks.
(AP, 1/26/08)
2008 Feb 13, Malaysia’s government
dissolved Parliament, opening the way for elections.
(WSJ, 2/14/08, p.A1)
2008 Mar 8, Malaysia's ruling
coalition was dealt a shock rebuke in elections that looked set to
deliver the key state of Penang to the opposition as well as a slice of
its majority in parliament. The National Front won only 140 seats, or
63 percent of the constituencies, losing its two-thirds majority for
the first time since 1969 and slumping from its 2004 landslide victory
when it won 91 percent of the seats. An alliance of three opposition
parties also secured control of 5 of Malaysia’s 13 state
administrations.
(AFP, 3/8/08)(AP, 3/9/08)(WSJ, 3/10/08, p.A3)
2008 Mar 10, In Malaysia PM
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in for a new 5-year term despite calls
for his resignation. Malaysian stocks fell over 10% and triggered for
the first time a limit-down rule established after the 1997-1998 Asian
financial crises.
(WSJ, 3/11/08, p.C7)
2008 Mar 11, Top leaders
Malaysia's opposition-ruled states will no longer follow a longtime
affirmative action program that benefits the majority Malays, in the
wake of an election upheaval that clipped the ruling coalition's powers.
(AP, 3/11/08)
2008 Mar 31, Malaysia's Islamic
opposition party delivered a protest note to the Netherlands' embassy
over the release of an anti-Islam movie by a maverick Dutch lawmaker,
while hard-line Muslims in neighboring Indonesia demanded the death of
the filmmaker.
(AP, 3/31/08)
2008 Mar, The population of
Malaysia numbered about 28 million people. About 3.9 million had
dial-up internet subscriptions and 1.2 million had broadband.
(Econ, 3/15/08, p.52)
2008 Apr 16, The Malaysian
government shut down the Tamil-language Makkal Osai, or People's Voice,
a newspaper catering to ethnic minority Indians. The next day the
daily's news editor slammed the move as punishment for its critical
coverage of social and political issues.
(AP, 4/17/08)
2008 Apr 21,
Malaysia's leg of the Olympic torch relay passed off largely
without incident with a heavy police presence netting just five
protesters and thousands of well-wishers braving torrential rain.
(AP, 4/21/08)
2008 May 8, A Malaysian Islamic
court allowed a Chinese convert to renounce Islam in a rare decision
for this conservative Muslim-led nation. Siti Fatimah, or Tan Ean Huang
(38), said she had never practiced Islamic teachings since she
converted in 1998 and only did so to enable her to marry Iranian
Ferdoun Ashanian.
(AFP, 5/8/08)
2008 May 23, The International
Court of Justice awarded Singapore sovereignty over a disputed island
at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Straits. The ICJ ruled in
favor of Singapore in the 28-year dispute with Malaysia over a tiny but
strategic uninhabited island the size of half a football field. The
court, however, gave Malaysia ownership of a smaller uninhabited
outcropping. Sovereignty over a third disputed cluster of rocks was
left to be determined later between the countries when they sort our
their territorial waters.
(AP, 5/23/08)
2008 Jun 3, A Cabinet minister
said Malaysia will remove price controls on gasoline and diesel,
allowing stations to sell fuel at world market prices in an attempt to
reduce the government's ballooning subsidy bill.
(AP, 6/3/08)
2008 Jun 5, Malaysia's government
faced street demonstrations and public outrage over its decision to
hike petrol prices 41 percent overnight, in a bid to curb its massive
subsidies bill.
(AP, 6/5/08)
2008 Jun 18, A party in Malaysia's
14-party ruling coalition called for a vote of no confidence against
the prime minister, in a serious blow to the embattled government.
(AFP, 6/18/08)
2008 Jun 28, In Malaysia a male
volunteer, working for the political campaign of opposition leader
Anwar Ibrahim, lodged a police report accusing him of sexual assault.
(Econ, 7/5/08, p.51)
2008 Jun 29, Malaysia's de facto
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took refuge at the Turkish embassy due
to fears he could be assassinated after fresh accusations of sodomy.
(AP, 6/29/08)
2008 Jul 1, Malaysian opposition
leader Anwar Ibrahim vowed to seize power from a "corrupt" government
at a rally of some 15,000 supporters as he fights back against new
sodomy accusations.
(AFP, 7/2/08)
2008 Jul 8, At Developing Eight
summit of Islamic nations, meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the leaders of
Indonesia and Malaysia called for boosting world food production and
finding a permanent solution to skyrocketing oil prices, saying the
twin problems have become "grave threats" to the world economy.
(AP, 7/8/08)
2008 Jul 14, Malaysian police
locked down Parliament with roadblocks and massive security to prevent
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters from attending a key
debate.
(AP, 7/14/08)
2008 Jul 15, Malaysian police
issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in
connection with a sodomy accusation by a male former aide.
(AP, 7/15/08)
2008 Jul 16, Malaysian police
arrested opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on suspicion that he sodomized
a male aide, pre-empting his voluntary appearance at the police
headquarters to answer the allegation. He was interrogated for more
than eight hours and made to sleep on a "cold cement" floor in a
holding cell before being released the next day.
(AP, 7/16/08)(AP, 7/17/08)
2008 Aug 19, Armed pirates seized
the MT Bunga Melati Dua, a Malaysian palm oil tanker with 39 crew, off
the coast of Somalia, the fourth hijacking in a month.
(AP, 8/20/08)
2008 Aug 26, Malaysia's opposition
leader Anwar Ibrahim won a "landslide" victory in a by-election to
return him to parliament, and said he was on track to oust a weakened
government. The Malays National Organization (UMNO) and its allies had
ruled since independence in 1957.
(AFP, 8/26/08)(Econ, 8/30/08, p.39)
2008 Aug 29, Pirates, believed to
be Somali, hijacked the Malaysian MT Bunga Melati 5 tanker and its 41
crew members off Yemen's coast in the Gulf of Aden. It was the second
tanker owned by MISC Berhard to be hijacked in the gulf in the last 10
days.
(AP, 8/30/08)
2008 Sep 5, Malaysia said it is
dispatching three navy vessels to the Gulf of Aden to protect its
merchant ships following a sharp surge in pirate attacks off the coast
of Somalia.
(AP, 9/5/08)
2008 Sep 10, Ahmad Ismail, a
member of Malaysia's ruling party, was suspended for three years for
"stoking racial tensions" with incendiary comments about ethnic Chinese
that shook the governing coalition.
(AFP, 9/10/08)
2008 Sep 29, Somali Islamist
insurgents attacked government forces and African Union peacekeepers
overnight in Mogadishu. At least four people were killed in the
clashes. Somalia pirates released Malaysia’s palm oil tanker, MT Bunga
Melati 2, two days after its first vessel was released.
(AP, 9/30/08)(AFP, 9/29/08)
2008 Oct 8, Malaysia’s PM Badawi
said he will step down in March and hand over power to his deputy in
order to prevent a split in the UMNO party.
(WSJ, 10/9/08, p.A13)
2008 Oct 15, A Malaysian court
ordered Tuanku Jaafar Tuanku Abdul Rahman (86), the country's former
king (1994-1999), to settle a $1 million debt to a bank in a landmark
verdict that ended a centuries-old tradition shielding the country's
royal sultans from legal prosecution.
(AP, 10/15/08)
2008 Oct 16, An influential
council of Malaysia's state rulers warned people not to question the
supremacy of Islam or the special privileges enjoyed by the country's
ethnic Malay majority.
(AP, 10/17/08)
2008 Oct 16, Authorities in
Malaysia and Singapore said they will guarantee all foreign currency
and local currency bank deposits.
(WSJ, 10/17/08, p.A5)
2008 Nov 1, Malaysia defended its
recognition of Kosovo as an independent state, a move that caused
Serbia to expel the Southeast Asian nation's ambassador.
(AP, 11/1/08)
2008 Nov 10, Malaysia's Scomi
Engineering said its consortium with an Indian company has won a 1.85
billion ringgit ($523 million) state contract to build the first
monorail in India.
(AP, 11/10/08)
2008 Nov 22, Malaysia's top
Islamic body ruled against Muslims practicing yoga, saying it has
elements of other religions that could corrupt Muslims. On Nov 25
Malaysia's leader assured Muslims they can perform yoga if they do not
chant religious mantras, an apparent effort to assuage public anger
over an Islamic body's ban of the ancient Indian exercise.
(AP, 11/22/08)(AP, 11/26/08)
2008 Nov 22, In Guatemala the head
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia was among three people
killed in a boat accident on Lake Atitlan.
(AP, 11/24/08)
2008 Nov 24, Malaysia released
suspected terrorist Yazid Sufaat, an alleged biological weapons expert
who was also linked to the September 11 attacks in the United States.
(AFP, 12/10/08)
2008 Dec 7, In southern Malaysia a
bus skidded off a highway, smashed into a tree and plunged into a
ditch, killing nine people and injuring 19 others.
(AP, 12/7/08)
2008 Dec 11, Malaysia's government
drew flak after admitting it spent 1.68 million dollars a year on PM
Badawi’s sprawling residence in the administrative capital Putrajaya.
(AFP, 12/11/08)
2008 Dec 11, Indonesia and
Malaysia agreed to heighten intelligence cooperation to anticipate
rising cross-border crime due to the impact of the global economic
crisis.
(AP, 12/11/08)
2008 Dec 27, In Malaysia Tuanku
Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman (86), a royal state ruler, died. He became
Malaysia's king for five years (1994-1999) under the country's unique
monarchal system.
(AP, 12/28/08)
2008 Dec 28, Malaysia reported
that it is zooming in on forests with a satellite in order to fight
illegal logging, which its government says is harming the major timber
exporting country.
(AFP, 12/28/08)
2009 Jan 1, Somali pirates seized
the Blue Star, an Egyptian cargo ship, and its 28 crewmembers. A
Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being
hijacked in the new year's first attacks by pirates in the dangerous
Gulf of Aden. A crew of the French warship "PM L'Her" dispatch boat
intercepted two speedboats carrying 8 Somali pirates as they were
preparing to board a Panamanian cargo ship. The Blue Star and its crew
of 28 were freed on March 5 after a ransom was dropped from a plane.
(AP, 1/1/09)(AP, 1/2/09)(AP, 3/5/09)
2009 Jan 7, Wildlife activists
said the box turtle is disappearing across Malaysia because of
increased illegal hunting for its meat and use in traditional Chinese
medicine.
(AP, 1/7/09)
2009 Jan 17, Malaysia's opposition
snatched a parliamentary seat from the beleaguered coalition
government, in a by-election seen as a test of the nation's political
mood.
(AFP, 1/17/09)
2009 Feb 15, Authorities in
Malaysia arrested 26 unmarried Muslim couples in hotel rooms during
Operation Valentine, aimed at curbing illegal premarital sex in this
conservative country.
(AP, 2/16/09)
2009 Feb 19, About 12 pirates
armed with guns attacked the tug and barge in the Malacca Strait and
kidnapped two crew members as the vessel was en route to Singapore.
(AP, 2/20/09)
2009 Mar 1, Officials said the
Malaysian government will issue a new decree restoring a ban on
Christian publications using the word "Allah" to refer to God.
(AP, 3/1/09)
2009 Mar 10, Malaysia’s government
unveiled a 60 billion ringgit ($16.26 billion) economic stimulus plan
amounting to 9% of GDP.
(WSJ, 3/11/09, p.A16)
2009 Mar 17, In Malaysia a battle
for senior leadership posts in the ruling party was hit with a
bombshell as 15 members including several top figures were found guilty
in an anti-corruption probe.
(AFP, 3/17/09)
2009 Mar 30, Malaysia's national
car maker Proton and Detroit Electric, a Dutch-based company, signed a
$555 million deal to make zero emission electric cars that they said
would be more powerful that any existing model.
(AP, 3/30/09)
2009 Apr 1, In Malaysia Mas
Selamat Kastari, an Islamic militant suspected of plotting a Sept.
11-style air attack, was arrested in Johor state, more than a year
after his dramatic escape from a high-security jail in Singapore. He
was arrested by Malaysian authorities with the cooperation of
Singaporean and Indonesian intelligence agencies.
(AP, 5/8/09)
2009 Apr 2, Malaysia's PM Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi (69), in office for 5½ lackluster years, resigned
to make way for Deputy PM Najib Razak, who must now fix an economy
close to recession, heal the country's deep racial divisions and revive
a moribund ruling party.
(AP, 4/2/09)
2009 Apr 3, Malaysian PM Najib
Razak, in his first act after talking office, freed 13 people being
held under a law that allows indefinite detention and lifted a ban on
two opposition newspapers.
(AP, 4/3/09)
2009 Apr 12, Malaysian police
rushed to a robbery scene only to find the suspects were fellow
officers. 3 men of a special elite police unit were allegedly caught
robbing five men at a house. One of the officers was armed with a
pistol.
(AP, 4/14/09)
2009 Apr 23, The editor of a
Malaysian anti-government news Web site, charged with sedition, went
into hiding, prompting a court to order his arrest. Raja Petra Raja
Kamarudin, who runs the popular Malaysia Today Web site, failed to
appear for a court hearing on a sedition charge stemming from an
article he wrote that allegedly implied the prime minister was involved
in the murder of a Mongolian woman.
(AP, 4/23/09)
2009 Apr 24, Malaysia's PM Najib
Razak vowed to investigate a scathing report by US lawmakers saying
thousands of Myanmar refugees were handed over to human traffickers and
ended up working in Thai brothels.
(AP, 4/24/09)
2009 May 6, Malaysian officials
said 2 political activists have been arrested ahead of a parliamentary
showdown between the government and the opposition over control of
northern Perak state.
(AFP, 5/6/09)
2009 May 7, Animal welfare
activists said more than 300 stray dogs, dumped on isolated islands in
Malaysia’s Selangor state, turned to cannibalism after weeks of
starvation.
(AP, 5/7/09)
2009 May 8, Malaysia said it will
free 13 people detained under internal security laws, including three
ethnic Indian activists, members of the banned ethnic Indian rights
group Hindraf, held without trial since organizing anti-government
protests in 2007.
(AFP, 5/8/09)
2009 May 15, In Indonesia 6
Asia-Pacific countries, meeting at the World Oceans Conference, agreed
on a management plan to protect one of the world's largest networks of
coral reefs, promising to reduce pollution, eliminate overfishing and
improve the livelihoods of impoverished coastal communities. The Coral
Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security covered
an area defined as the Coral Triangle, which spans Indonesia, the
Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East
Timor.
(AP, 5/15/09)
2009 May 18, Somalia's war-torn
government appealed for international help to set up a coast guard,
saying it would guarantee that sea piracy near its shores is wiped out
once it has such an agency. In Malaysia representatives of the
government, attending an international conference on piracy, ruled out
allowing foreign forces on Somali soil to destroy pirate bases.
(AP, 5/18/09)
2009 May 27, Malaysian police
rescued three men shackled to the wall of a filthy room for two months
by illegal moneylenders after failing to repay their debts.
(AP, 5/28/09)
2009 Jun 16, In Malaysia Teoh BEng
Hock, a young aide to a state councilor, fell from a window where
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officials had been
questioning him. The MACC had been created earlier this year from the
ashes of another agency.
(Econ, 9/5/09, p.48)
2009 Jun 16, The US added six
African countries to a blacklist of countries trafficking in people,
and put US trading partner Malaysia back on the list. Chad, Eritrea,
Niger, Mauritania, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe were added to the list in
the annual report. Removed from the list were Qatar, Oman, Algeria, and
Moldova.
(AFP, 6/16/09)
2009 Jul 8, Malaysian education
officials announced that they will abandon the use of English to teach
math and science, bowing to protesters who demanded more use of the
national Malay language.
(SFC, 7/9/09, p.A2)
2009 Jul 20, In Malaysia Kartika
Sari Dewi Shukarno (32), Muslim woman, was sentenced to six lashes and
a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for having a beer in a nightclub in
Dec 2007. She would become the first woman in Malaysia to be given the
punishment under Islamic law. Her caning was delayed on Aug 24 because
of the holy month of Ramadan.
(AP, 7/21/09)(AP, 8/19/09)(AP, 8/24/09)
2009 Aug 1, Police broke up
Malaysia's biggest street protest in nearly two years, firing tear gas
and chemical-laced water at thousands of opposition supporters
demanding an end to a law that allows detention without trial.
(AP, 8/1/09)
2009 Sep 1, Malaysian police
arrested Alain Robert (47), a French climber nicknamed "Spiderman,"
after he scaled the iconic 88-story Petronas Twin Towers.
(AP, 9/1/09)
2009 Sep 9, A Malaysian government
report said indigenous tribal girls have been sexually abused by
loggers in remote jungles on Borneo island, in the first official
verification of rape accusations involving timber companies.
(AP, 9/9/09)
2009 Sep 11, Malaysian authorities
seized a consignment of 10,000 copies of the Bible sent from Jakarta to
Kuching in Sarawak state, because the Indonesian-language books
contained the word "Allah," a translation that has been banned in this
Muslim-majority country. Another 5,100 Bibles, also imported from
Indonesia, were reportedly seized in March. Church officials said Allah
is not exclusive to Islam but is an Arabic word that predates Islam.
(AP, 10/29/09)
2009 Sep 28, In Malaysia news
reports said a judge has upheld a court verdict to cane a Muslim woman
for drinking beer, re-igniting a controversy over Islamic justice in
this moderate Muslim-majority country. The chief Shariah judge of
Pahang state ruled that a Shariah High Court's verdict against Kartika
Sari Dewi Shukarno (32) was correct and should stay.
(AP, 9/28/09)
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Subject = Malaysia
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