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REFORMASI ACTION NOW !! Daily email newsletter
==============================================
Thursday, 15th October, 1998	Issue # 1

Published by BERTEKNOLOGI KEADILAN
http://come.to/berteknologi
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WELCOME !!
==========
First of all, our apologies for being a few hours late with this 
newsletter. For our first issue, and with less than 48 hours marketing 
effort, we have been overwhelmed with positive response, and more people 
are subscribing by the minute, even as this is being typed.

While we don't and won't publish our circulation figures, we consider it 
quite likely that this newsletter is vying for the world record in 
number of voluntary subscribers to an email newsletter on it's first day 
of publication.

So, please bear with us in our early days. We are working on this 
newsletter, on sourcing information, on research, on developing 
contacts, on daily re-organisation of our international network of 
servers to avoid traces, and so forth, on a FULL TIME BASIS.

Around 500 hours have been expended getting this far, and we anticipate 
a further *minimum* of 18 hours per day every day from here on will be 
required on our part to bring you this *FREE* newsletter.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS REPORTS FOR TODAY:
=====================================

Anwar moved to prison
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian authorities removed the dissident leader Mr 
Anwar Ibrahim from detention under the harsh Internal Security Act (ISA) 
yesterday and shifted him to a regular jail near Kuala Lumpur. 
http://www.smh.com.au/news/9810/15/world/world9.html

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Anwar's daughter meets Habibie
A meeting three days ago between the 18-year-old daughter of the jailed 
former Malaysian deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and Indonesia's 
President B.J. Habibie, and her plans to visit the Philippines, are 
expected to exacerbate diplomatic tensions. 
http://www.smh.com.au/news/9810/16/world/world9.html

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Malaysian PM slams foreign critics
Mahathir Mohamad has hit back those criticising the treatment of his 
former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim. 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_194000/194179.stm
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #1)

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MAHATHIR: MALAYSIA ECON. TO SHRINK 4.8% IN '98, GROW 1% IN '99
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-Oct. 15-FWN--PRIME MINISTER Mahathir Mohamad said 
today that the Malaysian economy is expected to contract by 4.8% in 1998 
and grow by 1.0% in 1999.
http://secure.northernlight.com/cgi-bin/pdserv?cbrecid=FB19981015500000047&cb=0&dx=1006#doc 
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #2)

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APEC LEADERS SET TO MEET IN MALAYSIA IN NOVEMBER
Malaysia will use the meeting of world leaders during next month's Asia 
Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) here as a platform.... 
http://secure.northernlight.com/cgi-bin/pdserv?cbrecid=FB19981015160000055&cb=0&dx=1006#doc
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #3)

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Malaysia announces 2.9 billion dollar bond issue to recapitalize banks
Malaysia on Thursday announced a bond issue of 11 billion ringgit (2.9 
billion dollars) to recapitalize ailing domestic banks
http://secure.northernlight.com/cgi-bin/pdserv?cbrecid=FA19981015970000071&cb=0&dx=1006#doc
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #4)

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Malaysia's treatment of Anwar dogs APEC summit
The United States is leading new condemnation of Malaysia over the 
ouster and detention of deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim which threatens to 
overshadow a looming...  
http://secure.northernlight.com/cgi-bin/pdserv?cbrecid=FA19981015710000043&cb=0&dx=1006#doc
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #5)

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Mahathir says Malaysia still needs internal security law
http://cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9810/15/RB002611.reut.html
(Our commentary on this news item appears below - Comm #6)

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BERTEKNOLOGI KEADILAN NEWS COMMENTARIES:
========================================
(Please read the relevant news article mentioned above to properly 
understand the context of the commentaries.)

Commentary #1
* Mahathir says foreign critics should WAIT for the COURTS to decide 
Anwar's fate? Is this the same Mahathir who *DIDN'T WAIT* until Police 
had completed their investigations of allegations before ordering 
Anwar's arrest?
* Hands up all those people who believe that the judiciary is 
independent of Mahathir's government in Malaysia - that there are no 
politically expedient & "Mahathir friendly" appointments to the 
judicary... Counting.....   errrr.... Where are your hands???
* Writing off concerns by the USA as being "hypocracy" does not change 
the truth of the concerns the US have been expressing. While agreeing 
that "minorities" in the US may still face some entrenched 
discrimination by society, the US and every State therein have *very 
tough* anti-discrimination laws, all actively enforced with tribunals 
investigating all complaints. Let's look at Mahathir's government record 
of laws for discimination against minorities... laws applying to 
different races, laws applying to different religions, laws against 
sexual preferences between consenting adults... Mahathir's record toward 
minorities is far from clean. In fact, it has long been and remains 
disgraceful.

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Commentary #2
* To predict an economic turnaround of 5.8% in a single year is 
"heroic", to say the least. Not impossible - nothing is - but definitely 
heroic.
* Particularly with the advent of socialist style currency controls 
recently introduced, foreign investment into Malaysian industry by 
corporations has slowed to a crawl. The prohibition (supposedly 
"temporary", however long that is...) on repatriation of capital means 
that very little capital will come in just in case they cannot get it 
back out again. Bye-bye MSC.... and all the harder an uphill road to 
return to strong economic growth.
* Bear in mind, too, that a 1% growth rate (if achieved) is grossly 
insufficient to prevent the rapid escalation of unemployment. Malaysia 
requires a growth rate of close to 3.5% a year just to hold the 
unemployment rate steady.

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Commentary #3
If Mahathir is serious about promoting tourism into Malaysia, why 
doesn't he address the #1 issue - AIR FARES !! Air travel to and from 
Malaysia is about 30% more expensive than for similar trips from Hong 
Kong, Philippines, & Singapore. Why ??? Simple. Malaysia has tough 
restrictions on which airlines are licensed to land in Malaysia - much 
more restrictive than Malaysia's neighbours. This reduces competition, 
and thus market forces are not being allowed to bring prices of air 
fares down to levels competitive with neighbouring countries.

-----
Commentary #4
Mahathir's hypocracy of cutting Malaysia off from the rest of the world 
economically... except when he wants their money !! Note his comment 
that the foreign borrowings:  "will offer a rate consistent with the 
prevailing market rate." The effect of the artifical pegging of the 
ringgit at above prevailing market rates and capital controls on top, 
was that Malaysia's credit rating by the major world ratings agencies 
fell. A lower credit rating means that the "prevailing market rate" for 
Malaysian government paper on the international market is higher than it 
would have been without such controls. The taxpayers of Malaysia are now 
footing the bill for his politically expedient, yet economically 
irrational, "reverse all things Anwar" new economic policies.

Oh... and... let's not forget the REASON for these borrowings... to bail 
out the politically corrupt Renang Corporation - the main corruption 
issue Mahathir didn't want Anwar blowing wide open, and thus the 
persecution.

-----
Commentary #5
In relation to US criticism of the handling and mistreatment of Anwar: 
"But Mahathir had asked the United States to mind its own business." 
* Basic human rights are very much the business of EVERY person in the 
world, no matter who or where they are.
* And, yes... this is the same Mahathir who is borrowing billions from a 
consortium which includes US banks, and expects US Technology 
corporations to line up with their cheque books to invest in the MSC...

-----
Commentary #6
Excuses, excuses... Recent demonstrations have caused a 25% drop in 
tourists coming to Malaysia ??? UTTER RUBBISH !!! The reasons for the 
drop-off are:
* Post Commonwealth Games. Every Commonwealth & Olympic Games in history 
has been followed by a tourism slump in the host city. Quite simply, 
tourists bring forward their travel plans to attend the Games. After the 
Games, there is always a very predictable lull.
* The artificial pegging of the currency at around 10% higher than the 
then prevailing market rate has quite simply made tourism more expensive 
for foreigners.
* Therefore, to use the demonstrations in support of justice & human 
rights foir Anwar and the Reformasi cause as an EXCUSE to keep the 
Internal Security Act is nothing BUT self-justification on Mahathir's 
part, devoid of the facts.

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Press Releases:
===============
(Disclaimer: Berteknologi Keadian is not affiliated with any political 
party. Quoting of press releases from political figures is provided for 
information purposes, and must not be taken as necessarily being an 
endorsement by Berteknologi Keadilan.)

From: Lim Kit Siang - Malaysian Parliamentary Opposition Leader

Let Anwar Out On Bail:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3939/sg1350.html

All-Party/NGOs Roundtable Conference on political reforms
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3939/sg1349.html

Bank Bumi/Renong bailouts - Against NERP rules
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3939/sg1348.html

=======================================
Thank you for reading our first issue.
Tomorrow's issue will look at the Renang Corruption matter in greater 
detail, and provide some basic tips on internet security. Of course, we 
will also bring you news & informed commentary on issues relating to 
Reformasi, as described at our website: http://come.to/berteknologi

Until then.... Please support the Reformasi cause. Please make a list of 
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