UN CHIEF MONITORING DEVELOPMENTS IN AFTERMATH OF MASSIVE CHILE EARTHQUAKE

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 28 (nnn-unns) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday said he is keeping a close eye on the situation in the Pacific Ocean after a huge earthquake rocked Chile Saturday morning, threatening to send tsunamis crashing through the region.

?The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to those who have lost family and friends and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,? read a statement attributable to his spokesperson.

According to media reports a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Andes, killing at least 300 people.

?The Secretary-General is very closely monitoring developments, including the risk of Pacific Rim tsunamis, after the huge earthquake in Chile,? read his statement.

Mr. Ban is also seeking to contact the United Nations” Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), based in Santiago, the capital of Chile, for an assessment of the earthquake and information on UN staff.

In addition, the UN system, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is on standby to offer rapid assistance to the Chilean Government and people. — NNN-UNNS

KFC HOLDINGS (MALAYSIA) TO SPREAD WINGS TO INDIA

KUALA TERENGGANU, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Fast food operator, KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd, in a move to further spread its wings overseas, will establish 10 outlets in India this year.

Its Chairman Muhammad Ali Hashim said KFC, which operated 540 outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia, would spend RM1.2 million to set up each outlet.

The franchisee of the KFC chain of restaurants invests an average RM35 million, annually, in its operations and sales had always exceded RM1 billion.

“The venture into India is a long-term move and the outlets there will only serve halal food,” he told reporters after opening the KFC Graduate Enterprenuership 2010 Programme here on Sunday.

Muhammad Ali said two outlets would open in Mumbai, with one outlet operating in Pune, where several universities were located.

He also said KFC had 25,000 employees manning its outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Brunei and this figure was expected to spiral further as KFC opened more outlets.

KFC Holdings, which emerged as the most profitable among KFC operations in the region for two consecutive years, opened 44 outlets last year, with seven located in Cambodia.

On the graduate entreprenuership programme, Muhammad Ali said it had given birth to 63 women entreprenuers among single mothers and graduates.

KFC Holdings hopes to realise its target of helping 1,000 single mothers become entreprenuers, next year, under the programme.–NNN-BERNAMA

MODERATE EARTHQUAKE JOLTS AFGHAN CAPITAL

KABUL, Feb. 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — A moderate earthquake struck Afghan capital Kabul and adjoining areas Sunday morning, causing no casualty, a private TV channel reported.

“The quake was magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale, and the epicenter is on the Hindu Kush Mountains,” Tolo television reported in its news bulletin.

The earthquake took place at around 3:50 a.m. local time.

No immediate report of casualties or damages to properties has so far been reached, said the TV channel.

Some Kabul residents rushed from their houses in their nightclothes when the houses were shaking. — NNN-XINHUA

SRI LANKA RECORDS NO VIOLENCE IN ELECTION NOMINATION PERIOD

COLOMBO, Feb. 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — An election monitoring organization in Sri Lanka said on Saturday that the nomination period for the forthcoming parliamentary election was generally peaceful and it will continue to monitor the election process closely.

Prasanna Adikari, convener of the National Polls Observation Center (NPOC) told reporters that no election-related violence was reported during the nomination period from Feb. 19 to Feb. 26.

The NPOC, established in 2008 and handled by a group of lawyers, has monitored a series of elections in the island including the Jan. 26 presidential election.

“Our officers are monitoring the situation around the clock,” Adikari said, adding that the NPOC will deploy its officers in each polling centers countrywide on the Election Day of April 8.

Susil Premajayantha, general secretary of the ruling coalition United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) said the alliance has advised its candidates and supporters to honor the election laws and refrain from engaging in any violent practices. “We have also advised all of our candidates to remove their all cutouts and posters at the end of the nomination period,” Premajayantha said.

However, former parliamentary group leader of the Sri Lankan leftist party JVP or the People’s Liberation Front Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government is suppressing the opposition parties and abusing state powers to win the election.

Dissanayake said the leader of the newly formed Democratic National Alliance former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka is in military custody at present.

He said Fonseka is contesting the election from the Colombo district, but the government is still detaining him at the Navy Headquarters in Colombo.

General Secretary of the main opposition United National Party Tissa Attanayake said government is abusing the state media to the campaign of the UPFA.

Attanayake said the state media is only carrying the stories and pictures of ruling party candidates.

Attanayake accused the ruling party candidates of abusing the state property for their campaign.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Police Elections Bureau said after ending the nomination period any candidate could not display their posters or cutouts in public places according to the elections law.

Chief of the bureau Deputy Inspector General of Police Gamini Navarathna said the police are on alert to prevent election- related violence countrywide.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolved parliament early this month and the new 225-member parliament will meet on April 22. — NNN-XINHUA

MALAYSIA: ALERT WITHDRAWN, NO RISE IN SEA LEVEL IN SABAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — The Meteorological Department has withdrawn its earlier alert on the possible rise in sea level in Sabah’s east coast following the earthquake in Chile.

The department said it had not detected any rise in the sea level in the state.

“It is now ascertained that the Sabah waters are free from the threat,” the department said in a statement.

Earlier on Sunday the department issued an alert, advising coastal residents in the state’s east coast to stay away from the beaches between noon and 6pm today as there were likely to occur rough sea conditions and a rise in the sea level.

The earthquake which struck Chile yesterday caused tsunami waves across the Pacific Oceans such as Mexico, Tahiti, Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa Islands and New Zealand.

– NNN-BERNAMA

KUWAITI LEADERSHIP EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO CHILE ON QUAKE VICTIMS

KUWAIT, Feb 28 (NNN-KUNA) — His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable on Sunday to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria, in which he expressed his sincere condolences on victims of the devastating earthquake that hit the city of Concepcion, killing and wounding dozens of people.

His Highness the Amir wished the injured a swift recovery and that officials in the friendly national would be able to overcome the impact of this natural disaster.

On his part, His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also sent a cable of condolences to the Chilean president, as did His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.–NNN-KUNA

THAILAND: BANKS HEIGHTEN SECURITY AFTER BOMB BLASTS

BANGKOK, Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Five bank premises, four of them belong to Bangkok Bank, became the target of bomb attacks last night, police said.

Two of the bombs exploded, two defused and one found to be fake.

Deputy Commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police Pol Maj Gen Anan Srihiran said a hand grenade exploded at the Bangkok Bank’s Silom branch at 9.45pm, shattering the entrance and damaging a parked taxi and a public phone booth nearby.

Eye-witness Nithadorn Puinapieng said he saw two men on a motorcycle threw objects at the bank before hearing the explosion.

About 45 minutes earlier, a security guard found a hand grenade in front of the Bangkok Bank’s Rama II branch.

Anan said the guard informed the police who later defused it.

Anan said the third bomb was found in front of Thanachart Bank at Phuttamontonsai 4 branch at 9.30pm but was later confirmed to be fake.

Pol Maj Somkid Planchiwaboon from the Praradaeng Police Station said the fourth bomb exploded at the Bangkok Bank’s Prapradaeng branch at 11.30pm, damaging its main door and two public phones.

At about the same time another bomb was found at Bangkok Bank’s Thanon Srinakarin branch but police managed to defuse it.

Banks have heightened security following the incident.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva believed the incidents were the work of a small group of troublemakers.

In his weekly live television address Sunday, he called on the public not to panic as authorities were taking necessary measures to ensure security and peace.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIA CONVEYS CONDOLENCES TO CHILE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Foreign Minister Anifah Aman on Sunday conveyed Malaysia’s condolences and deep sympathy to the victims of the massive earthquake that hit Chile yesterday.

In a statement, he said the Malaysian Embassy in Santiago had also confirmed that Malaysians working in the republic were safe.

He said that the ministry and its embassy in Santiago would continue to monitor the situation and issue reports accordingly.

In this regard, he said the public can contact the ministry’s duty officer at 03-88874000/03-88874570 or 03-88892746 for further information.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck 115km northeast of the City of Concepcion and 325km south-west of Santiago, the capital of Chile.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIA: PENANG SENIOR CITIZENS TO RECEIVE RM100 ANNUALLY BEGINNING APRIL

PENANG, Feb 28 (Bernama) — The state government will distribute aid of RM100 annually to each senior citizen in Penang who are eligible and aged 60 and above beginning April.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the aid, given under the Senior Citizens Appreciation Programme, was one of the efforts initiated by the state government to assist and apreciate the elderly.

“There are 132,000 senior citizens in the state but only 62,000 had registered at the State Assemblymen’s Service Centres to receive the aid and according to the statistics, the areas with the most number of senior citizens are in the North-East and Seberang Perai Utara districts,” he told reporters, here on Sunday.

Lim said that beginning tomorrow until March 8, senior citizens could check the name register and their personal particulars in the website http://isejahtera.penang.gov.my which was launched today.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIA: ACTION TAKEN ON LOCAL TRADERS FOUND LEASING LOTS TO FOREIGNERS

KUANTAN, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Local traders and hawkers found leasing or renting out their business lots to foreigners will have their business licence revoked.

Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said local authorities had been asked to identify traders involved before issuing them a warning to carry out their own business.

“We will give them three to six months. If they refuse to stop, we will revoke their licence and give it to other traders,” he told reporters after a visit to a farmers’ market, here on Sunday.

He said based on the reports they received, about 70 per cent of business premises, especially in Jalan Masjid India and Chow Kit in the nation’s capital were leased or rented out to foreigners, including those who did not have valid travel documents.

Lajim said should the situation be ignored it would become more serious and affect the livelihood of other local traders.

“There are currently over two million foreign workers in Malaysia, if they take over our businesses we will be at a loss,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who chaired a cabinet committee meeting on foreign workers and illegal immigrants recently, urged local authorities to take stern action on foreigners involved in trading.

Muhyiddin also warned local traders against leasing out their business premises to foreigners as it would affect the income of local traders.

– NNN-BERNAMA