70 percent of foreign worker permits in Malaysia slashed

PUTRAJAYA - Work permit approvals for foreign workers in Malaysia have been slashed by almost 70 percent due to an emphasis on hiring locals.

Murdered Malay Indian’s family has no confidence in health ministry inquiry

PETALING JAYA - The family of A. Kugan, whose custodial death had created a public uproar in Malaysia, has no confidence in the independent inquiry to be initiated by the Health Ministry.

Malaysian Indian presiding official questioned

IPOH - Perak state assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar has been questioned by the police following the suspension of the entire state ministry by him last week.

Malaysian Indian leader gets bullets in mail

PENANG - Malaysian Indian lawmaker Karpal Singh received an envelope with two live bullets and a letter that threatened to ‘burn his entire family’ if he clashed with the Malay rulers.

Ethnic Indian speaker suspends entire Malaysian state ministry

IPOH - V. Sivakumar, speaker of Perak’s state assembly, has triggered a constitutional crisis by suspending Menteri Besar (chief minister) Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six executive councillors (ministers) from the assembly.

Malaysian survey blames politicians for racial disharmony

KUCHING - Malaysia’s politicians have been blamed for racial polarisation in an online poll, with about 92 percent of the respondents agreeing that many politicians were playing up narrow racial issues.

Indian community will get its due, says Malaysian leader

IPOH - The Malaysian Perak state’s Mentri Besar (chief minister) Zambry Abdul Kadir has assured ethnic Indians that their interests would be taken care of even though they have no Barisan Nasional (BN) representatives in the legislative assembly.

Divine faith saves wife and baby

GEORGE TOWN - Asked by doctors to choose between his wife and their unborn child, Malaysian Indian travel agent M. Rajendran turned to Lord Murugan for divine intervention.

Indian nabbed with dope-in-soap at Malaysian airport

BUTTERWORTH - An Indian has been arrested by Malaysian Customs officials after they found contraband in the soap bars he was carrying, media reports said Sunday.

Malaysian Indian youth laid to rest after custody death

PUCHONG - Hundreds of Malaysian Indians Wednesday bade an emotional farewell to A. Kugan, a suspected car thief who died in police custody.

ASEAN-India free trade agreement depends on Thailand

BANGKOK - A free trade agreement (FTA) between India and South-East Asia will be signed at the upcoming summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) if the Thai parliament approves the pact, officials said Monday.

Jalikattu is Tamil youths’ test of manhood

PENANG - Tamil youths here flaunted their sporty prowess performing Jalikattu, the bull-fight, at the 100th annual Pongal festival, a media report said Monday.

Malaysian Indian politician dies fighting robbers

IPOH - An ethnic Indian politician and Hindu community leader was killed while fighting off six machete-wielding robbers who broke into his home.

Barber from India jailed for killing Malaysian employer

JOHOR BARU - An Indian youth working as a barber here has been jailed for killing his Malaysian employer, also an ethnic Indian, who allegedly used to sexually abuse him.