Thai police use tear gas as protesters storm poll venue

Thai police use tear gas as protesters storm poll venue
Rescue underway for Russian ship trapped by Antarctic ice
Tsunami early warning system did not detect movement of seabed
Thunderstorms to persist in several coastal areas until pre-dawn
Najib spends two hours mingling with guests at Malaysia Christmas Open House
Bomb blasts not deterring Malaysians from holidaying in Thailand

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:09 PM PST

BANGKOK： Thai security forces fired tear gas Thursday at anti-government protesters who stormed a stadium in the capital to try to prevent political parties registering for upcoming elections.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has faced weeks of mass street rallies seeking to curb her family's political dominance and install an unelected "people's council" to oversee electoral reforms.

The protests have left five people dead and more than 200 wounded in street violence, although tensions had abated since several days of clashes between police and demonstrators in early December.

Yingluck has called a snap election for February 2 to try to ease tensions, but the main opposition Democrat Party — which has not won an elected majority in about two decades — has vowed to boycott the vote.

The latest confrontation came as representatives of about 30 political parties gathered inside a Bangkok stadium for a draw for the numbers to be used on the ballot sheets.

The demonstrators have vowed to keep up their campaign to disrupt the polls, with protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban threatening to "shut down the country" to prevent people voting.

Thailand has seen several bouts of political turmoil since Yingluck's older brother Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as premier in a military coup in 2006.

The political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based middle class and royalist elite, backed by the military, against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin, who lives in self-exile. – AFP

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Rescue underway for Russian ship trapped by Antarctic ice

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:42 PM PST

ANTARCTICA： Three icebreaking ships were Thursday hurrying to reach a Russian vessel carrying 74 people on a scientific expedition which is trapped by ice off Antarctica, with Australian authorities coordinating the rescue mission.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the MV Akademik Shokalskiy sent a distress message on Wednesday to say it was stuck about 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville.

"The ship was starting to head out (to the open ocean) when the blizzard hit," expedition spokesman Alvin Stone told AFP.

"It's just stuck in ice. There's no danger at all."

The ship is in the Australian search and rescue region, prompting authorities to issue a broadcast to icebreaking vessels in the area and three with icebreaking capability have responded.

The three, which include the Australian Antarctic Division's Aurora Australis, are en route to the area with a Chinese-flagged vessel expected to reach the trapped ship first late Friday.

AMSA said the mission to reach the ship could be difficult.

"It's quite windy and there could be some sort of blizzard conditions," Andrea Hayward-Maher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Weather conditions, if they become difficult, could hinder the options that we have.

"But hopefully those icebreaking vessels will be able to get there as soon as they possibly can to render assistance."

The group on board the Russian ship are scientists and tourists recreating the historic voyage of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson to Antarctica a century ago.

They have been replicating the scientific experiments his team conducted during the 1911-1914 Australian Antarctic Expedition — the pre-eminent scientific expedition of its time to South Polar regions.

It is not known whether the ship, which is stranded just three kilometres (two miles) from open ocean, will continue with its scientific experiments once it is freed or head back to New Zealand where it had been due to arrive on January 6.

Stone said the mood on board appeared to be normal as they waited for an icebreaker to reach them.

"They have been celebrating Christmas," he said. – AFP

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Tsunami early warning system did not detect movement of seabed

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:13 PM PST

KOTA KINABALU: The tsunami early warning system did not detect any movement of the seabed of Kampung Tambisan Tungku, Lahad Datu, where thousands of fish beached Tuesday.

Sabah Meteorological Department director Abdul Malik Tussin said despite the phenomena, the early warning system in the area did not detect any earthquake or tsunami threat.

"The incident is rare. It happened over a short time and not due to any movement of the seabed that cause earthquake or tsunami," he said when contacted by Bernama, here Wednesday.

Abdul Malik said the Meteorological Department was monitoring the movement of the seabed which was in a state of calm.

Weather conditions in Sabah was forecasted to be good except in some areas, particularly Beaufort, which was flooded due to overflowing of Sungai Padas in Tenom. – Bernama

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Thunderstorms to persist in several coastal areas until pre-dawn

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:10 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Thunderstorms occurring over the states of Perak and Selangor are expected to persist until pre-dawn tomorrow.

The Malaysian Meteorology Department in a statement here tonight, said the condition would cause strong winds up to 50km per hour and rough seas with wave height reaching 3.5 metres that would be dangerous for small boats.

Thunderstorms occurring over the coastal areas of Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah (Pendalaman and East Coast) are also expected to persist until pre-dawn tomorrow.

"At the same time, strong winds between 50 to 60km per hour and rough seas with wave height reaching 4.5 metres are expected to occur. This condition is dangerous to all coastal and shipping activities, including fishing and ferry service," the statement said.

Strong northeasterly winds over 60 km per hour with waves reaching 5.5 metres occurring over the coastal areas of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Eastern Johor, are expected to persist until Dec 31.

"These areas are also vulnerable to sea level rise. This condition is expected to continue until Dec 31," the statement said. – Bernama

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Najib spends two hours mingling with guests at Malaysia Christmas Open House

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:09 PM PST

GEORGE TOWN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Wednesday spent about two hours mingling with over 10,000 guests at the Malaysia Christmas Open House 2013 at Padang Kota Lama here.

Clad in a red-coloured batik shirt and black pants, the prime minister arrived at the venue at 3.30 pm, accompanied by Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Najib, Mohamed Nazri, Joseph and Guan Eng then placed the replica of a giant candy on the stage, symbolising the launch of the open house.

At the event, the prime minister also presented an allocation of RM10,000 to four non-governmental organisations, which had been active in organising cultural activities in the state.

A visitor Halim Saad, 42, who came with his wife and three kids, described himself as being lucky to have the opportunity to get upclose and personal with the prime minister.

"This is the first time we get upclose and personal with Najib and join the celebration," he told Bernama.

For a tourist from Canada, Ivvarson Kyle, 34, he really enjoyed and did not feel lonely in celebrating Christmas here even without his family and friends.

"It was delightful to see how people in Malaysia shared the celebration in a harmonious environment…I never feel alone here," he said.

An Indonesian student, Irene Yofi, 36, said even without her family, she still enjoyed the celebration here.

"Although Malaysia is an Islamic state, the people and the leaders are exercising tolerance…they have open house for almost all national festivals where the people celebrate together, regardless of their backgrounds," she said.

For a couple from Holland, who wished to be known only as Jeanatte and Clarke, it was different to experience Christmas celebration without the snow and cold weather.

"It's very different from our country where the weather is so cold…today's weather is a real blessing ….we just arrived here yesterday and very happy to found this (open house)," said Clarke.

Various Penang traditional dishes and delicacies were served to the guests at the event, including laksa, fish head curry, char kuey teow, briyani rice, cendol and pasembor.

They were also entertained by songs performed by local singers, including Awie, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Nassier Wahab, Salwa and Suki Low. – Bernama

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Bomb blasts not deterring Malaysians from holidaying in Thailand

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:07 PM PST

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Bomb blasts in Danok and Sadao near the Malaysian border on Sunday do not deter Malaysians from holidaying in Thailand in conjunction with the Christmas holiday Wednesday.

A Bernama survey at the entry points here found many private Malaysian vehicles entering Thailand since early morning while Thai authorities were cleaning the area of the bomb blast at Hotel Oliver.

However, there were not many people in Danok town as compared to previous public holidays and business was slow.

In the incident, three explosions took place in Danok, one in Sadao, about five kilometres from Danok, and one in Padang Besar, Thailand, injuring 27 people.

Several Malaysians met said they were aware of the bomb blasts but were confident the perpetrators would take into account the safety of many foreign tourists.

Wong Ngee Tat, 33, of Ipoh said he and his friends planned to go to Hatyai and they did not want to pass up on the opportunity in conjunction with Christmas.

Penang trader, Albert Sinnaiah, 55, he would spend several days in conjunction with Christmas with his family in Hatyai and hoped nothing untoward would take place.

In another development in Kuala Kedah, Malaysians met opted to holiday in Langkawi and not Thailand due to security reasons.

"The bomb blasts in Thailand cannot be treated lightly. Don't do things that one may rue later," said a tourist from Melaka, Goh Ping Ping, 37.

Nor Aini Yahya, 27, of Kepala Batas, Penang said she immediately cancelled plans to holiday in the neighbouring country after the bomb blasts.

Chee Hing Lim, 50, of Cheras, Kuala Lumpur said holidaying in a politically-unstable country could invite trouble and it was better for Malaysians to holiday in the country. – Bernama

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