03/11/2013 04:59 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11, 2013 (AFP) - Malaysian authorities have rescued at least 136 people believed to be ethnic Rohingya Muslims fleeing strife in Myanmar aboard a leaking boat with no food or water, an official said Monday.

The rescue brings the number of boats intercepted this year to 11, marking a "big increase" in refugee arrivals, said Tan Kok Kwee of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, following deadly sectarian violence in Myanmar.

Harvesting of the 2013 paddy crop in Sabah state in the north and Sarawak state in the south commenced in mid-December and will continue until mid-May. Given above-average rainfall during the growing period, adequate provision of subsidized seeds, fertilizers and yield promoting inputs favourable prospects are projected for the current paddy crop. Additionally, the Government of Malaysia has announced the establishment of four new granaries in Sabah, Sarawak and Pahang states, which are expected to expand the area planted to paddy by 19 000 hectares i.e. by about 2.5 percent.

A group of about 450 Rohingya Muslims from Burma have arrived on Malaysia's Langkawi island after a two-week boat journey, officials say.

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12/27/2012 10:34 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27, 2012 (AFP) - Floods triggered by torrential rains in Malaysia claimed a second victim as waters started to subside, allowing thousands of evacuees to return home from relief centres, reports said Thursday.

Fifteen-year-old Mohd Hamidi Abdul Hamid drowned while playing in a flooded field in Terengganu -- one of three northeastern states hit by heavy rain -- on Wednesday, according to state news agency Bernama.

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Malaysian authorities have allowed 40 migrants from Myanmar into the country two weeks after their vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday.

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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 November 2012 – The wet season and unpleasant weather that spells more rain, the Malaysian Red Crescent Headquarters and its Hub for Disaster Response throughout Malaysia are on standby and closely monitoring the situation and getting reports daily from the relevant agencies.

Our boats are ready to be deployed and our warehouse is ready to store food supplies to support flood victims.

Summary

When a UNHCR evaluation team visited a Somali refugee school and community centre in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, it found that all of the children and young people there had large pieces of paper pinned to their clothing, bearing a variety of different messages. One of them read: “Thanks UNHCR for visiting our refugee education centre. But when will our turn come?” Another stated: “We are Somali refugee children. We have very few opportunities here.

04/11/2012 15:14 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11, 2012 (AFP) - Malaysia on Wednesday lifted a tsunami alert it had issued earlier for the country's western coastline after a massive earthquake and aftershock in the Indian Ocean, state media reported.

The alert was issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department but rescinded about four hours later after the threat was deemed to have passed, state news agency Bernama reported, citing a statement from the department.

The tremors struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert.

KUALA LUMPUR – Groupon Malaysia today presented a cheque worth RM 92,320 to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) following the recent ‘Groupon for Women’ initiative which was launched on March 8th, International Women’s Day.

The partnership aims to raise awareness and support for WFP’s nutrition support to pregnant and nursing mothers and their children in Asia, through the ‘Groupon for Women’ initiative for WFP’s Mothers-to-Mothers campaign. Television celebrity Marion Caunter also supported the campaign through a Public Service Announcement.