January 2006 in Malaysia and Singapore

Events in Malaysia and Singapore

This page deals with January 2006 events in, or related to, Malaysia and Singapore and their citizens.

30 January 2006 (Monday)

• King Abdullah Of Saudi Arabia arrives in Malaysia for a three-day visit. (Bernama)

29 January 2006 (Sunday)

• Statue of Murugan unveiled at Batu Caves, north of Kuala Lumpur. (Bernama)
• Malaysia sends peace monitors to Mindanao. (Bernama)
• Japanese Encephalitis is reported in Kelantan (Bernama)

26 January 2006 (Thursday)

• Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak says that Malaysia will proceed to build a bridge across its half of the Johor Strait replacing the Johor-Singapore Causeway. The bridge is referred to as "scenic bridge" instead of the previous label "crooked bridge". Singapore is seeking clarification about the plan. (The Star) (The Star) (Bernama)

25 January 2006 (Wednesday)

• Researchers at Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research in National University of Singapore have discovered the world's smallest fish, the 7.9mm long paedocypris progenetica, in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra in Indonesia. (CNA)(BBC)
• Construction of The Arts School, the first pre-tertiary arts school in Singapore, begins at Kirk Terrace and is expected to complete in 2008. (CNA)

22 January 2006 (Sunday)

• Several firearms and ammunitions are stolen from Malaysian navy base at Lumut, Perak. (The Star)
• 100 Australian troops pay respect to war heroes that fell during the Battle of Malaya of the Second World War near Gemas, Negeri Sembilan. (The Star)

21 January 2006 (Saturday)

• Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says there is no need to amend Article 121 (1a) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Meanwhile, eight of the nine ministers that handed a memo to the Prime Minister withdraw it. (Bernama) (New Straits Times)
• KTMB receives twenty new high-powered locomotives, (Bernama)
• The Economist magazine apologises to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and agrees to pay undisclosed damages in relation to a statements attributed to Lee in an obituary on former President Devan Nair (CRIENGLISH.COM)(Bloomberg)

20 January 2006 (Friday)

• Malaysian Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin will make a state visit to Singapore from January 23 to 25. The king earlier this week made a state visit to Jakarta, Indonesia. (CNA) (Bernama)
• The government have announced that the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lee Hsien Loong, will deliver the FY2006 Budget Statement in Parliament on 17 February 2006. (CNA)
• The government have pledged to cash out bonuses up to $200 for all 700,000 National Servicemen (NSmen) and along with other financial incentives as proposed by The Committee to Recognise the Contribution of Operationally-Ready NSmen to Total Defence (RECORD IV). (CNA)
• Health experts have urged the country to rethink the avenue of transplant for kidney failure patients, instead of insisting on expanding dialysis infrastructures. (CNA)
• Federal Territory Religious Department wants to form snoop squad to fight indecency amid privacy concerns and disapproval of the Malaysian cabinet. (The Star)
• Malaysia says Myanmar does not need to be referred to the United Nations Security Council. (Bernama)
• Sergeant Shaik Amran, 24, from the Singapore Civil Defence Force dies while on duty in a traffic accident, the first officer to do so since its formation in 1981. (CNA)
• Muslim Malaysians, mostly students and PAS Youth hold protest against the amendment of Article 121 (1a) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Nine non-Muslim ministers on the other hand handed a memorandum on the amendment to the Prime Minister. Article 121 (1a) stipulates the division of power between the civil and the syariah courts in Malaysia. (Bernama) (Bernama)

19 January 2006 (Thursday)

• Pathlight School opens a special cafe to train its autistic students in life skills. (CNA)
• A Thai construction worker dies in an accident at a construction site of a bungalow at Oriole Crescent. He was pinned under a concrete slab. (CNA)
• A Malaysian couple was arrested for illegally trying to leave Singapore when the Singapore customs checked the car boot. (CNA)
• The Public Utilities Board is replacing old sewage pipes, with polyester liner to an existing pipe to form a new inner pipe. This will do away with digging trenches and digging up roads and pavements. (CNA)
• A mini fridge hits a woman in her 50s; the killer litter came from the third floor at Geylang Serai. The culprit, who is a karang guni man in his late 50s, has since been arrested. She received outpatient treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. (CNA)
• Malaysia and Chile discuss the possibility of a free trade agreement. First round of joint study of its feasibility will take place on February 28, 2006. (Bernama)
• Malaysian Institute of Economic Research expects Malaysian economy to grow 5.5 per cent in 2006. (Bernama)
• Malaysian astronaut candidates undergo tests at Royal Malaysian Air Force's Flight Medical Institute. (Bernama)

18 January 2006 (Wednesday)

• The naked body of an Indian man is found floating on the Singapore River. (CNA)
• Singapore pledges S$1 million to fight bird flu in Southeast Asia. (CNA)
• Singapore Airlines-owned budget carrier Tiger Airways has switched its ground handling operator from SIA subsidiary Singapore Airport Terminal Services to Swissport. (CNA)
• A contractor admits to having illegally dumped 3,000 tonnes of aluminum in Johor. Malaysian Department of Environment later discovered more illegal toxic waste dump sites in Johor. (New Straits Times) (Bernama)

17 January 2006 (Tuesday)

• Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng says that during the upcoming 61st Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in September, assemblies or processions would have to be approved. The Police would be prepared to deal with protests or demonstrations and those found guilty of violent crimes would face severe punishment including caning and imprisonment. (CNN) (CNA)
• DaimlerChrysler plans to open up an assembly plant in Malaysia. (Forbes)

16 January 2006 (Monday)

• Tourism Malaysia and Singapore Tourism Board issue a joint statement on a two-year joint marketing campaign to promote the two countries as tourist destinations. (CNA)(STB)
• The Elections Department has completed its revision of the Registers of Electors for all 23 constituencies and is opening them for public inspection from January 17. The next General Election is to be held before June 2007. (CNA)
• The Port of Singapore surpasses Hong Kong to become the worlds' busiest container port, handling 23.19 million standard container units in 2005. (CNA)(Bloomberg)
• Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean is introducing stiffer penalties for defaulters of National Service with fine doubling to $10,000. (CNA)
• Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim says that the National Environment Agency is setting up a 24-hour tsunami and earthquake warning centre as part of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System. (CNA)
• A homemade bomb exploded in Penang, killing a 47-year-old man and injuring another. (The Star)
• Malaysian Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discuss about Iranian nuclear controversy over a telephone conversation. (Bernama)
• Southern Bank Berhad decides to abandon its plan to buy Asia General Holdings Ltd after Bank Negara imposes several restrictions. (Bernama)

15 January 2006 (Sunday)

• The Buangkok MRT Station starts operation, serving residents in Punggol South area. (CNA)
• Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society set up a gambling hotline to give help to compulsive gamblers. (CNA)
• A major civil emergency exercise, Serangoon Emergency and Preparedness Day 2006, was conducted in the Serangoon Gardens Estate near the Chomp Chomp Food Centre (CNA)
• Royal Malaysian Police arrests alleged Lebanese billionaire, Dr. Elie Youssef Najem over several alleged cheating cases. (The Star)

14 January 2006 (Saturday)

• The Workers' Party of Singapore launches its updated Party Manifesto, a 52-page booklet that outlines the party's stand on issues and policies, covering areas in economic, judicial policies, media, sports and recreation. (Today)

13 January 2006 (Friday)

• The National Trade Union Congress will be helping low wage workers get higher paid jobs. (CNA)
• The Law Society of Singapore has set up a committee to examine issues related to capital punishment in Singapore (CNA)
• An Indonesian and a Thai were injured at Keppel Shipyard when a scaffolding crashed.(CNA)
• Malaysian High Court orders Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd to pay Fauziah Holdings Sdn Bhd MYR 65 million "for loss of advertising rights". (The Star)

12 January 2006 (Thursday)

• The Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers, chaired by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen, is recommending a S$1 billion worth of workfare measures to help low income earners over two years. (CNA)
• Volkswagen AG ends strategic partnership with Proton. (BusinessWeek Online)

11 January 2006 (Wednesday)

• Johor Department of Environment suspects a factory from Malacca illegally dumped 300 tonnes of aluminum dross near Labis, Johor. The toxic waste was discovered earlier when rain caused the dross to release ammonia. (Bernama)

9 January 2006 (Monday)

• The S$45 million construction of Singapore Changi Airport's first budget airline terminal has been completed and commercial flight operations will start on 26 March. (CNA)
• The Night Safari announces that it has successfully bred a giant anteater, an animal of a threatened species. (News24)

8 January 2006 (Sunday)

• Singapore holds its largest civil counter-terrorism exercise, codenamed Exercise Northstar V, simulating bombing and chemical attacks at four Mass Rapid Transit stations and a bus interchange. Thirteen MRT stations and part of Toa Payoh Bus Interchange are closed for three hours, causing travel disruptions for over 15,000 commuters and triggering a response from some 2,000 personnel from 22 governmental organisations. (CNA)

6 January 2006 (Friday)

• Senior Counsel KS Rajah wrote an article in Law Gazette, raising question on whether the Court of Appeal's recent death sentencing on two men for murder charges constitutes double jeopardy, thereby violating Singapore Constitution Article 11. The High Court had earlier acquitted the two men of murder and reduced the charge to causing hurt in the course of committing robbery, but the Public Prosecutor appealed. (CNA)
• The National Council on Problem Gambling is implementing two public education initiatives to promote public awareness on problem gambling including a TV series Bet Your Life and a S$150,000 fund for public education programmes by voluntary welfare organisations. (CNA)

3 January 2006 (Tuesday)

• The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is holding a bilateral air exercise, codenamed SINDEX, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 3–20 January. (CNA)
• Joint bidders Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Melco pull out from the race to build Singapore's first Integrated Resort at Marina Bay, leaving four contenders still in the running. (CNA)

2 January 2006 (Monday)

• About 250 cyclists participate in the second Sly Ride in memory of a 37-year-old designer, Sylvester Ang, who was killed in an accident on December 2004 while cycling with the Triathlon Family, a local cycling group, to raise awareness of road safety for cyclists. (CNA)
• The Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean says Special Operations Force soldiers such as Second Sergeant Ong Jia Hui, 24, who drowned during training in June 2005, are well prepared for their training. (CNA)

1 January 2006 (Sunday)

• Thousands of revellers gathered at several points around the island to usher in the New Year, particularly at Mount Faber and Marina Bay. (CNA)
• Registration for the second season of Singapore Idol begins via the internet. (CNA)

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.

Malaysia

• New Straits Times
• The Star
• Bernama
• The Malay Mail
• Daily Express (mainly Sabah news)

Singapore

• Channel NewsAsia
• The Straits Times
• The Business Times
• The New Paper