Malaysia
Feeling the Heat
Fuel prices have risen 40 percent since the start of the year.
Skyrocketing fuel prices make people angry. How angry you ask?
- Truck drivers in Spain started an indefinite strike on Monday, threatening to bring the entire country to a standstill. A growing number of gas stations have reported to have run out of fuel as a result, and supplies of fresh food are running low.
- From Portugal to Italy, commercial fishermen have protested rising fuel prices by blockading ports and refineries
- Last Thursday, more than 500 motorcyclists staged a “go-slow” demonstration outside Manchester, UK.
- Over in Asia, angry Indian consumers burned tires and blocked traffic after the government raised fuel prices. The protests shut down schools and businesses in West Bengal State.
- In Hong Kong, 500 buses and trucks colluded to bring traffic to a standstill in the central city.
- Enraged by the government’s recent 41-percent fuel price hike, Malaysians have planned a nationwide strike and a major demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on July 12.
- Truck drivers in Thailand are threatening to wreak traffic-havoc next week by clogging the roads with 400,000 trucks.
- In South Korea, truck drivers threatened to strike on Monday, ignoring the $10.2 billion government aid package designed to cushion the impact of soaring fuel prices.
What other angry reactions have you heard about?
Politics and Trade: Muslims Boycott Dutch Products
Muslims in Malaysia and elsewhere are boycotting Dutch imports in the wake of an incendiary Internet-posted movie by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders. The right-wing politician means to provoke with his 15-minute anti-Islamization movie, Fitna, which many say equates Islam with terrorism.
In Malaysia, where more than six of every 10 inhabitants are Muslim, the Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the film. The Religious Council has also urged the boycott of Dutch products, saying it created unnecessary tensions.
One of Malaysia’s leading supermarket chains initiated a "soft boycott" in 40 stores by marking the products with red labels. The chain buys $18.8 million worth of Dutch goods a year, ranging from dairy products and cosmetics to electronics.
Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said that a boycott would make the Netherlands "close shop" since the world's 1.3 billion Muslims make up the wealthiest population and are also the biggest importers. “We must not be afraid of losing trade with them. If we do, then we won't be thinking as Muslims, but more for our own self interests," he said.
The Dutch are fearful that the boycotts will affect their businesses. Malaysian dairy giant Dutch Lady Milk Industries took out full-page newspaper advertisements to denounce the film. Dutch businesses are even threatening to take legal action against Wilders if their businesses were affected by his film.
Oman, Jordan, Singapore, Pakistan and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among others who have condemned the film.


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