External News

BANGKOK, Nov 3 — The ongoing US trade tension against China and sanctions against Iran is creating problems for many other growing economies worldwide, including Malaysia, the prime minister said today.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the US government’s actions under the leadership of its president Donald Trump was creating a ripple effect for all the trading partners of both China and Iran.

“Basically it was not started by China. And China itself wants to put an end to this trade war.

“But it is the stand of the US which is causing this thing to go on and on and becoming worse and worse,” he told Malaysian media after participating in the 10th Asean-United Nations Summit here.

Dr Mahathir had expressed his views on the US-China trade war during a dialogue at yesterday’s Asean Business and Investment Summit ahead of the 35th Asean Summit that officially kicked off today.

Today, he elaborated on his remark, saying his concern is also shared by the other leaders in the South-east Asia regional grouping.

“They all think it is disrupting growth and trade. They would like a peaceful world where they can trade with other countries,” he said.

He added that at the moment, the end of the trade disputes was not in sight.

“It may end if President Trump is not reelected. If he is reelected, it could be another five years of trade wars,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said he does not believe the US actions were reflective of the general sentiment of its business community but were solely the decisions of one person — Trump.

“I hope that this will be resolved one way or another.”

The prime minister also told Malaysian journalists that he had reiterated his discontent with the invocation of veto powers by the UN’s Security Council five permanent members during the summit.

He said he again took the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction with the double standards being practised and “how, despite them setting up the UN to eliminate wars, they have been the cause of most of it”.

However, he said one thing that he did not mention then was about the economic sanctions, which is being felt by Malaysia through its ties with Iran.

“One thing that was not mentioned is about sanction. When you apply sanctions, it’s against the law.

“There is no provision in the UN that a country that is dissatisfied with another country can apply sanction to that country as well as to other countries trading with that nation. So that sanction doesn’t apply to one country alone.

“We are, Malaysia is now being sanctioned because it cannot trade with a very big trading partner or ours, Iran,” he said, adding that other countries faced the same problem.

“They talk so much about rule-based trade and relations, but the very people who talk about this or invented these ideas are the same people who are not adhering to their own principles,” he said, without naming the country imposing the sanction.

MORE TO COME

PETALING JAYA: A man broke his right leg after it became trapped in an escalator at a shopping complex along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here today.

The Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 10am and six officers were sent to the scene.

The man, aged 49, was later sent to Hospital KL for further treatment.

The Fire and Rescue Department and other relevant agencies are now investigating the cause of the incident.

JOHOR BARU, Nov 2 — Producers, particularly those in the Small and Medium Industries (SMIs), must raise their innovative capability and creativity so that they can produce quality and clean products as required by the consumers.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the producers must also improve their productivity, efficiency and competitiveness so that their products could be marketed at a competitive price.

“In addition, I wish to advise all producers of products that are relevant to acquire the ‘halal’ certificates from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) so that their products could easily be sold not only within the country but also for exports.

“As for distributors, you need to have an efficient distribution system so that the cost of delivery and storage could be controlled at a reasonable level, which is an important element so that retail prices can continue to be competitive,” she said when launching the Buy Malaysian Products Carnival (KBBM) at the national level at Plaza Angsana Johor Baru, here today.

At the same time, she reminded Malaysians to support and buy local-made goods to boost the Malaysian economy.

“Government measures to boost domestic expenditure through initiatives such as the Buy Malaysian Goods Campaign are appropriate and most significant to balance the challenges and pressure of the current economic globalisation.

“If all Malaysians support this initiative by increasing the purchase of local goods, it will certainly boost domestic economy, raise Gross Domestic Products (KDNK) and avoid the outflow of funds from this country,” she said.

Dr Wan Azizah added that the hosting of the carnival was in line with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 which was launched by the Prime Minister early last month.

“This vision is determined to make Malaysia as a nation that continues to develop in a sustainable manner in line with equitable, fair and inclusive economic distribution to all levels of income group, ethnicity, region and supply chain,” she said.

KBBM 2019 which was organised by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), was held for five days beginning Wednesday and participated by 180 exhibitors, comprising manufacturers, retailers, franchise holders and SMIs.

More than 300 local entrepreneurs participated in the carnival.

Also present was the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Dakwaan berlaku salah laku polis terhadap tahanan kes LTTE adalah tidak berasas dan tidak bertanggungjawab, kata Ketua Polis Negara Abdul Hamid Bador.

Beliau berkata, jika benar pihak yang membuat tuduhan itu mempunyai rakaman CCTV mengenai perkara itu, mereka diminta membawanya semula ke mahkamah.

“Berkaitan dengan beberapa kenyataan serta tuduhan umum yang dibuat oleh peguam dan ahli politik tertentu terhadap perbuatan yang kononnya menyalahi undang-undang yang dilakukan oleh pegawai polis ke atas tahanan kes LTTE, maka saya dengan tegasnya membuat penafian.

“Saya berdiri teguh atas penjelasan yang diberikan oleh pegawai saya bahawa dakwaan itu adalah tidak berasas sama sekali dan amat tidak bertanggungjawab,” katanya dalam kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Semalam, beberapa portal melaporkan dakwaan berlakunya kes lima daripada 12 tahanan Akta Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-Langkah Khas) 2012 (Sosma) yang dikaitkan LTTE didera dan diseksa.

Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) hari ini menafikan dakwaan berlakunya kejadian tahanan SOSMA didera dan diseksa sepanjang ditahan dan Menteri Dalam Negeri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata, KDN menyemak dakwaan itu dengan Abdul Hamid dan pegawai terlibat dan mendapati dakwaan itu tidak benar.

Abdul Hamid berkata, apa yang perlu difahami ialah fakta bahawa dakwaan salah laku polis itu dibuat oleh mereka selepas ia dijalankan secara tertutup (in camera) di kamar hakim.

“Patutnya semua pihak mestilah menghormati proses undang-undang ini dan tidak membuat tuduhan melulu di khalayak umum,” katanya.

Katanya, beliau merujuk perkara itu kepada peguam negara dan sedang menunggu arahan untuk tindakan selanjutnya.

KOLKATA: More than 100 migrant workers from India’s Kashmir will be moved after a spate of killings by suspected separatist militants underlined the threat to outsiders in the restive region.

Senior officials working for the chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said on Saturday she decided to move the workers out of Kashmir to prevent them from becoming a potential target for militant groups who the government says have intensified attacks on civilians belonging to states except Kashmir.

The migrant workers will be identified and moved by train to eastern states, the officials said.

Last week, suspected militants barged into a house in southern Kashmir, marched out six men who had come to work in the orchards and paddy fields from West Bengal, lined them up and shot them, police said.

Five died, a sixth, who the gunmen had left for dead, survived, to tell the tale that has fanned fears of further attacks on outsiders, officials say.

“We have orders from the state leader to escort all the Bengali labourers out of Kashmir after five Muslim labourers from West Bengal were killed,” said a senior police official in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal.

Migrant workers are a soft target for militants, and during the past few weeks 11 have been killed, including the victims of this latest atrocity, the government said.

Much of Kashmir’s economy is dependent on outside labourers who work in construction, hotels and apple orchards. None of the militant groups that are fighting Indian rule in Muslim majority Kashmir claimed responsibility for the attack on migrant workers.

The separatist insurgency in Kashmir began three decades ago, but the latest flare up in violence followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision in August to take away the autonomy previously offered to India’s only Muslim majority state.

India is hoping that by opening up property rights in Kashmir to people from outside the region it can reignite economic growth, create jobs and turn the focus away from a militant uprising in which more than 40,000 people have died.

But for the government to have any chance of succeeding, it will have to remove the growing sense of insecurity among Indians who have risked coming to Kashmir to make a living.