M'sia to bar S'poreans from taking home cheap food

**Voodoo Vince** · 17-01-2008, 10:56 AM

M'sia to bar S'poreans from taking home cheap food

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is planning to bar Singaporeans and Thais from taking home staple foods like flour and sugar to avert shortages of the subsidised goods, reports said Wednesday.

The move comes after the government was last week forced to flood the market with thousands of tonnes of cooking oil and flour as shortages left supermarket shelves stripped bare and restaurant owners warning they faced disruption.

'So far, we have enforced prohibition to bring cooking oil out of the country but I will suggest (to the cabinet) that other food items be included in the list,' Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal said.

Shafie told the state Bernama news agency that the proposal would be submitted at Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

Singaporeans often make day trips across the Causeway linking the island-state to Malaysia to fill their petrol tanks and buy groceries which are cheaper here.

Smuggling of supplies of cooking oil, petrol and flour is also rife across Malaysia's porous northern border with Thailand.

Malaysia heavily subsidises 21 food items including sugar, milk, salt, wheat flour and rice.

Shafie said his ministry has checked close to 9,000 businesses nationwide to deter hoarding and smuggling of cooking oil.

He told Bernama the ministry had so far seized nearly 22,400 kilogrammes of cooking oil worth 58,000 ringgit (S$25,462) during the operation.

Rising prices are a sensitive issue in Malaysia and the government has taken prompt action over the shortages ahead of general elections expected to be held this year. --- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+N...ry_196841.html

**k3nn7i** · 17-01-2008, 11:11 AM

wow...bar somemore...

**Huaikong** · 17-01-2008, 11:35 AM

i support them although i sporean.we r spoiling the JB's mkt for very long time oredi....

~sakuranbo~ · 17-01-2008, 05:17 PM

they are very niao you know........ why don't they just remove the causeway?

**Ican** · 17-01-2008, 05:30 PM

I don't understand, why don't they raise cost in other areas or raise cost in the staple food?? And barring Singaporeans from buying stuff means less business. How dumb can you get.

**Baby_Nutz** · 17-01-2008, 05:50 PM

they are beri stupid to bar ppl to buy things there like that they will have lesser ppl going to shop there therefore i think the economy will be beri poor... if singaporean dun go in malaysia shopping if they are bar to buy certain food less ppl will go in...

Like that their country no ppl go there buy things sure economy go down liao...

haunted2 · 17-01-2008, 06:02 PM

what a dumb move now they spoil it no one will go there anymore and cause a downfall in their economy...

**foxycinderella** · 17-01-2008, 06:49 PM

maybe they just finding excuses to stop us from going over..

**anberlin** · 17-01-2008, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxycinderella

maybe they just finding excuses to stop us from going over..

which means lesser Singaporeans get robbed...

**Voodoo Vince** · 17-01-2008, 11:46 PM

Well, Malaysia, Truely Asia.

**candykisses** · 18-01-2008, 03:41 AM

Next time they can might as well ban us from buying anything there,
meaning you go there with 1 bag, you return there from there with 1 bag.
I don't think this move really makes sense. =.="