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Tv & Radio > News & Features Sunday August 6, 2006
Let’s hear it for Malaysia
AIR RAVES
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN
MALAYSIA was in the news of international radio stations, a fortnight ago, for a variety of reasons.
US Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice’s brief visit to Kuala Lumpur to attend the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) from the July 24-28 caught the attention of BBC World Service (WS) in London.
Dr Rice’s meeting with the Asean leaders on the last two days of the week-long forum last month was to discuss security issues in the region.
“This is the first year that Condi has attended the regional security forum,” the WS noted.
In addition to gauging her views on the latest events in Lebanon, the international broadcaster highlightedthe special gala evening at which she gave a piano recital.
She wasn’t the only one on stage; the Indian delegation sang about nuclear proliferation and Japan amused with a sketch about giant frogs.
According to the WS, it has become a practice for ARF’s delegations to present some kind of entertainment with themes linked to topical regional issues.
The Voice Of America (VOA) overseas radio station from Washington DC focussed on Rice’s assurance to Asia’s top diplomats that “the United States will continue working for a lasting resolution to the Middle East crisis.”
However, VOA’s correspondent Heyda Bayron, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, pointed out that “the possibility of action on another pressing security issue, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, seems to be fading.”
VOA also quoted Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as saying the forum “strongly urged North Korea to refrain from any action that might aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula.”
Other Malaysian news on the WS was the pepper spray attack on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the ban on botox by the National Fatwa Council for Muslims in Malaysia.
“Muslims in Malaysia are going to have to learn to live with their wrinkles,” commented BBC news correspondent Jonathan Kent in Kuala Lumpur.
Botox is used to banish wrinkles and the council decided that the serum contained prohibited substances, including those derived from pigs, he said.
Merdeka moments
As we prepare to celebrate our 49th year of independence later this month, TraxxFM’s news presenter Pei Lee shares with us some of her Merdeka thoughts:
“My best Merdeka moment was back in 2001 when I was on duty together with DJ colleague Janet Ambrose conducting a live commentary on what was going on in Dataran Merdeka in KL.
“The most poignant part came when the song Keranamu was played and the dancers each held the Malaysian flag. Even though we were broadcasting the sights and sounds to the nation, it was there’s nothing like being there yourself and being able to take in all the colours and the magic of the moment.
“By the time your readers read this, I will be taking a break in Europe for almost a month but a team of wild horses couldn’t stop me from coming home on Aug 30 in time to fly the Jalur Gemilang on our nation’s wonderful birthday.”
Pei Lee joined Radio 4 (now called TraxxFM) as a deejay in 1999. She now presents the news from RTM’s News Centre on TraxxFM two times a week on Tuesdays from 8pm until midnight and on Thursdays from 3pm to 7pm.
Anthony Thanasayan, who was born disabled, is an avid radio listener. His work, training special dogs for the physically handicapped, has been featured on local and international radio. His dogs, he says, help him ‘stay in tune with life’. E-mail him at athanasayan@hotmail.com.
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