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Monday 29th August, 2011 10 Tony Tan is elected 7th Democrats call for end to president of Singapore Tony Tan has been voted But close to two-thirds did Singapore’s seventh president, not. The voting patterns show a intimidation of govt critics by in a race that had just 7,269 votes society more politically divided separating him and runner-up than ever before. As the new Tan Cheng Bock. president of Singapore, one of With such a small margin, Tan’s foremost priorities will be the returning officer allowed a to win over those who had cast recount, bringing Singapore’s their votes for the other three the red shirts in Thailand second presidential election to a candidates - Tan Cheng Bock, conclusion only at 4.25am - more Tan Jee Say and Tan Kin Lian. than eight hours after polls The president-designate closed. made it clear that his work to In the end, just over one- unify Singaporeans would begin third - 35.2 percent - of 2.1 mil- right away. lion voters threw their support With his family next to him, behind the former deputy prime he said: “Not only for those who minister who had campaigned have voted for me but even for on the platform that his would those who have not voted for me, be a pair of steady and experi- I plan to work for each and enced hands in carrying out the every one of you. The real work president’s custodial functions. begins straight away. Towering target for Nepal’s tiniest teen Lee Yen Mun The Star/ANN He may have once been the Handmade Shoes, will produce world’s shortest man but he three pairs of custom-made has his eyes set on one of the footwear for Khagendra as a world’s tallest towers the gift. Petronas Twin Towers in Sherlina said Khagendra’s Kuala Lumpur. feet were only about 10.2cm in Nepalese teenager length. Khagendra Thapa Magar, who Accompanied by his father is only 67cm tall, will certainly Rup Bahadur, members of the strike a stark contrast when Khagendra Thapa Magar he poses beside the towers dur- Foundation and several ing his visit here. Nepalese celebrities, Supporters of Pheu Thai Party, holding portraits of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, left, and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, The 18-year-old goodwill Khagendra is expected to cheer up outside Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. Thai lawmakers chose U.S.-educated businesswoman Yingluck ambassador for the Nepal meet and greet his country- as the country’s first female prime minister Friday, setting the stage for the 44-year-old political novice to take charge of a volatile nation Tourism Board is in Malaysia men on his tour to several that’s been deeply divided since her brother was ousted in a 2006 coup. (AP) for the first time. cities including Johor Baru, “I am the shortest man Penang and Port Klang until The Nation (Thailand)/ANN Democrat Party MP Kowit Tarana warned ruling party’s election campaign promises, and from the highest mountain Thursday. red shirts to behave appropriately, saying their will not curb the rising cost of living as (Mount Everest) in the world. I he Democrat Party of Thailand yesterday leaders’ rise to power does not give them claimed. look forward to seeing the claimed to have endured a “week of impunity. Chavanond said the suspension of the con- tallest twin towers in Tharassment” last week as senior opposi- “The premier and her ministers preach rec- tribution would put the Oil Fund 5 billion baht Malaysia,” Khagendra quipped tion figures including Chuan Leekpai and onciliation in press interviews, but take no (US$167 million) to 6 billion baht in debt, a bur- in the Nepali language. Abhisit Vejjajiva, as well as other critics of the action against those who assault people outside den that would ultimately have to be shouldered His words were translated government, were subject to intimidation by Parliament,’’ Kowit said. by the public. Democrat Party Bangkok MP by the country’s ambassador red-shirt supporters of the government. He said House Speaker Somsak Attawit Suwanpakdi said the prime minister to Malaysia Dr Rishi Adhikari Democrat spokesman Chavanond Kiartsuranont cannot avoid responsibility, as promised during an election campaign event at during a press conference at Intarakomalyasut said the intimidation of for- the incident happened in front of Parliament. Rajamangala Sport Stadium that the Oil Fund Hilton Kuala Lumpur yester- mer premiers Chuan and Abhisit, as well as an The speaker must take action to see that law would be permanently scrapped in order to day in conjunction with the assault on two students involved in a protest, and order is maintained, Kowit said. drastically reduce the cost of living. However, teenager’s visit. must not be allowed to happen again. Chavanond said the Democrats will next the government now says the contribution to Khagendra’s stature has Democrat Party Trang MP Sathit week name a shadow Cabinet to check the gov- the Oil Fund will be suspended for six months. already granted him celebrity Wongnongtoey said the party had assigned him ernment. Thus, Attawit said, prices of goods will not status in his home country, to check with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm “To ensure that we can effectively check the come down because the measure is temporary. particularly after being certi- Yoobamrung on the progress of investigations government, we will select members who have He said the drastic drop in the benzene price fied by the Guinness World into the alleged red-shirt attack on two students potential and competency and can fully devote to 34.77 baht will affect sugar cane farmers, Book of Records as the world’s protesting outside Parliament on Thursday dur- their time to carrying out their duties to best of since the margin between benzene and benzene shortest man. ing the policy debate. their ability,’’ the spokesman said. gasohol is only 23 satang. Many motorists will He held the record for eight Sathit said he was confident Chalerm would He criticised as inappropriate Pheu Thai’s stop using gasohol, and prices of tapioca and months until 59cm-tall Junrey be able to rein in the red shirts. However, he decision to appoint party deputy spokesman sugar will plunge, he said. Balawing of the Phillipines said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Wim Rungwattnachinda as secretary to the The suspension of the contribution to the knocked him out of the top her Pheu Thai were responsible for the activi- PM’s office minister in charge of overseeing the Oil Fund, he added, will affect the subsidy for spot in June this year. ties of red shirts, because she appointed them media, due to allegations that Wim was LPG, which Attawit said was used by every He is now seeking another involved in bribing reporters. household for cooking. Even though the diesel to carry out tasks related to political activities. record attempt for having the Khagendra posing as meas- He urged the public to keep a watch for any The Democrat spokesman also said the Pheu price has dropped by 3 baht, the price of LPG world’s smallest feet and urements of his feet were double standard regarding the government’s Thai-led government’s policy to suspend contri- will rise from 280 baht to 570 baht per 15 kg hands. taken in Kuala Lumpur treatment of red shirts. butions to the Oil Fund was a distortion of the cylinder, he said. Local shoemaker Sherlina Doraimani, of Natasha Saturday. The Star The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN of Councillors will take place Monday A point of policy contention will be morning in a general meeting of DPJ whether to raise taxes to fund recon- Five lawmakers officially declared Diet members. struction from the Great East Japan their candidacies for the Democratic None of the five may be able to win a Earthquake, including the consumption Party of Japan’s presidential election majority in the first round of voting, tax rate. Saturday morning, kicking off a two- leading to a runoff between the first- The five lawmakers will also focus day race to choose Naoto Kan’s succes- and second-place finishers. on whether the DPJ should maintain sor as DPJ chief and prime minister. The new DPJ chief is expected to be the policies pledged in the 2009 lower The candidates are former Foreign named prime minister in the Diet as house election that brought the party to Minister Seiji Maehara, 49; former early as Tuesday. power. Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Of the five hopefuls, Maehara and Maehara said, “I’m determined to firmly devise policies to quickly recover from the earthquake and tsunami disas- ter, deal with the nuclear crisis and guide the nation’s energy policy.” Presidential race kicks Maehara also said, “I will do my utmost openly and honestly, and I ask for support for my resolve to reinvigo- rate this country by expanding the off for Japan’s ruling DPJ national economy.” He later announced a set of policies he will pursue if elected, and reiterated Tourism Minister Sumio Mabuchi, 51; Noda belong to what is called the main- his call for party unity. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister stream of the DPJ, the group that has Mabuchi told a group of his support- Banri Kaieda, 62; Finance Minister backed Kan’s administration. Kaieda is ers in front of the Tokyo hotel where his Yoshihiko Noda, 54; and Agriculture, from the non-mainstream side, while election campaign headquarters is locat- Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kano and Mabuchi have described ed, “Recovery from the disaster and sta- Candidates for leader of Japan’s ruling Democratic Party, from left, former Foreign Michihiko Kano, 69.

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