Malaysia

Malaysia: Tighter Security at Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport; Crackdown on Luggage Thieves at Hotels

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

A specially trained police force is now patrolling Kuala Lumpur’s international airport in response to an armed robbery in April that saw bandits make off with $1 million worth of Singaporean currency. The robbers wounded five people when they held up two currency exchange workers. The new force of 141 officers is now on round-the-clock [read more]

Singapore: Dengue Fever on the Rise

Date: July 4th, 2007 |

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Dengue fever is spiking in Singapore and surrounding countries, with the infection rate similar to that of the dengue epidemic of 2005. This year Thailand has seen more than 11,000 cases and Indonesia 68,000, but Malaysia has the highest infection rate in the region with more than 20,000. Singapore’s rate with nearly 3,000 cases is [read more]

Pacific Rim: Taiwan Earthquake Damages Undersea Cables

Date: January 3rd, 2007 |

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Taiwan Dec. 26 and damaged undersea telecommunications cables, affecting internet, banking and telephone services around the Pacific Rim. Much of the service has been restored but repairs to the cables are expected to take as long as a month. Internet access may be slow or unavailable in so [read more]

Malaysia: Taxi Coupon Plan Extended

Date: September 19th, 2006 |

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Authorities in Kuala Lumpur are extending a taxi coupon system to more tourist spots in an effort to prevent taxi drivers from cheating their passengers. Currently the system is available at Kuala Lumpur’s Sentral train station, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Sunway Lagoon and Kuala Lumpur Tower. It will be extended to the Kuala Lumpur City [read more]

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand: Sumatra Forest Fires Cast Pall over Neighbors

Date: August 1st, 2006 |

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Haze from forest fires in Sumatra drifted into Malaysia and Thailand in an annual rite of pollution caused by illegal burning. The fires are typically started by slash-and-burn farmers clearing forests for fields or logging companies clearing land to get at timber. Indonesia’s Riau province has the majority of the fires and the worst pollution, [read more]

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Hotels 98 Percent Full

Date: August 15th, 2007 |

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Hotels in Kuala Lumpur have an enviable problem: 98-percent occupancy rates that are making it hard for visitors to find rooms. To avoid difficulties, the Tourism Ministry is encouraging tourists to stay in cities near the capital such as Shah Alam, Nilai and Seremban. The shortage will be particularly acute around the hosting of the [read more]

Malaysia: Tourists Voice Complaints, Officials Listen

Date: March 28th, 2007 |

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Tourism officials are responding to tourist feedback that revealed issues some visitors have with travel in the country. High on the list are dirty toilets in and around Kuala Lumpur, not just public toilets but restaurant facilities as well; rude and dishonest taxi drivers; and pickpockets in crowded shopping malls and street markets, in particular [read more]

Indonesia: Illegal Burning Spreads Haze over Region

Date: October 3rd, 2006 |

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Dry season burning of brush on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo has caused smoke and haze to spread over both islands and nearby Singapore, reducing visibility, damaging air quality and delaying flights in Palangkaraya, Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo. The haze was affecting some 215,000 square miles of land. Air quality had [read more]

Malaysia: Crime Gang Dismantled in Borneo

Date: September 12th, 2006 |

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A small-time crime syndicate in Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo was broken up, but its modus operandi is worth remembering. They meet foreign tourists “by chance,” befriend them, show them around for the day, then invite them to their home. Once there, they encourage the tourists to play a game Black Jack, even [read more]

Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia: Piracy in Malacca Straits

Date: July 11th, 2006 |

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Piracy has been a problem for decades in the Malacca Straits, a busy shipping channel between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and three incidents occurred recently despite a concerted effort by these three countries to reduce the practice. Two UN-chartered ships on their way to Indonesia’s Aceh province in Sumatra were attacked and lost cash and [read more]