Malaysia High Court Allows Christian Use of the Word 'Allah'

VOA News 31/12/2009

The word 'Allah' is Arabic for God. He is the same one God worshiped by Jews, Christians and Muslim.

In Malaysia, the High Court has thrown out a government ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah for God. Those favoring the ban argue Christian use of the word could lead to confusion and conversions among Muslims.

Malaysia's High Court ruled that a Roman Catholic publication can use the word "Allah". The court said the Home Ministry was incorrect when it banned the non-Muslim publication from using the word.

The Catholic Church's main publication in Malaysia, The Herald, led the legal fight against the ban on behalf of a range of religious and community groups

Under Malaysian law, the home minister has the power to impose conditions on publications. In the case of The Herald, the word Allah was banned, apparently on the grounds of national security - to avoid misunderstanding and confusion among Muslims.

Father Lawrence Andrew is the newspaper's editor and says the word Allah has been part of religious teachings within Christian circles in Malaysia for more than 370 years.

'Health Tourism' Increasingly Popular in Asia

VOA News 22 / 12 / 2009

Medical tourism brought in $1 billion in 2007 and that is expected to triple by 2012, when the Health Ministry expects more than two million medical tourists

Asia is being seen as a growth center in the globalization of health services thanks to rising demand from developed countries as well as the region's expanding middle class. But there are concerns that so-called medical tourism will shift resources away from public to private health care systems.

Over much of the past 10 years Thailand has led the growing medical tourism market, as foreigners sought lower cost health services and ready access to treatment.

The services available range from complicated cardiac surgery, to cosmetic surgery to dentistry and even alternative care, such as Chinese medicine, yoga and traditional Ayurvedic treatments.

Rising international travel and the availability of information on the Internet have boosted the number of travelers seeking treatment.

In Thailand, as many as 1.4 million visitors arrived seeking medical care in 2007, the most recent year numbers are available - up from half a million in 2001. Medical tourism brought in $1 billion in 2007 and that is expected to triple by 2012, when the Health Ministry expects more than two million medical tourists.

Malaysia and Thialand PM on trouble southern Thailand

The Nation Malaysia willing to help down South, but will not interfere

During Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's recent historic visit to Thailand, he and his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva sat down with Nation Multimedia Group's editor-in-chief, Suthichai Yoon, to talk about regional affairs.

The interview will be aired on Channel 9's World Beat show on Tuesday. Here are some excerpts:

SUTHICHAI: What is your main message for Thailand?

NAJIB: Malaysia is a partner. We are not only a neighbour. We want to partner with Thailand in terms of the added challenge of security, economy, development, economic integration, how we face global challenges, world trade … we have to have a common position. That's why it's important for us to understand each other and to decide not only on a common agenda but a common way

forward.

PM Abhisit, don't you find that the Malaysian PM going down South constitutes an interference in our domestic affairs?

ABHISIT: When I first suggested the idea, he very quickly agreed. I think it's important as neighbours that we understand each other and I think nothing beats seeing it first hand … what we are trying to do, what the conditions are. I think Malaysia has been very supportive of the way we work on the southern border provinces and with this first-hand experience, we hope it will make the further contribution that Prime Minister Najib has kindly offered us even more efficient and well-targeted.

The suspicion used to be that people who created trouble fled to the other side and they were well taken care of and they came back whenever they wanted. Is that suspicion gone?

ABHISIT: Well, you said there are suspicions and we have discussed this issue. Malaysia has clearly stated that she has been cooperating with us all along in terms of sharing intelligence, not supporting any kind of violence … I'm very pleased and appreciate Prime Minister Najib's comments made on several occasions that he has been very supportive of what we are trying to do.

NAJIB: We had an incident with the 131 people [who fled to Malaysia from Thailand]. We wanted them to return right away but if we had a hidden agenda, we would keep them in Malaysia. We would not tell you that they are in Malaysia. But we are very transparent. We got an assurance from the Thai government that it was safe to go back.

But what about the militants?

ABHISIT: Those people are going to move around. But we have a good understanding of what has to be done. I believe we will establish a very good standard operating procedure, not just at the policy level but at the operation level.

But they have sympathisers on the other side who would hide them.

NAJIB: Yes, sure. But you can't avoid that. That's one of the reasons why you must solve this dual citizenship problem, because quite a few of these people have a dual citizenship. So when we resolve this problem once and for all, it would be a lot easier for us to track and monitor the movement of people.

Asia - Medical tourism are booming

Phnom Penh Post Healthcare industry fuels surge in demand for nursing colleges

The healthcare industry is booming across Southeast Asia. Private hospitals in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and even Ho Chi Minh City are flooded with patients from around the region and increasingly from the Middle East, Europe and North America.

They come for annual checkups, heart bypasses, hip replacements, kidney transplants, laser eye surgery and every other kind of medical treatment conceivable, including sex change operations.

And they do it because the quality of treatment is as good, if not better, than they can get in their own countries, and because it costs much less than at home.

The thriving ‘medical tourism’ industry is expected to continue to boom for the foreseeable future because of a heightened awareness of the benefits of quality healthcare and because the world’s ageing populations will require more frequent medical checkups and treatments.

Ten years ago, consumer expenditure on healthcare services and goods by Asians stood at US$90 billion. Today, it is estimated that it will more than double to $188 billion by 2013.

Malaysia, which has focused on markets in the Middle East and China, expects medical tourism to generate revenues of $650 million next year.

Thailand, another thriving healthcare centre, already treats more than 1 million foreign patients every year – and even tiny Singapore hopes to hit that target by 2012 and generate $3 billion in revenue in the process.

Most nursing graduates choose to work in private hospitals because of better pay and work conditions.

But there is one potential hiccup to this wonderfully rosy picture: Where will all the trained nurses and ancillary staff to look after this massive influx of patients come from?

Step forward Malaysia’s Masterskill University College of Health Sciences.

This organisation, which has several nursing college campuses, astutely spotted the boom in medical tourism and robustly stepped forward to provide training courses for medical staff and thus fill a seemingly ever expanding and lucrative market.