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Modest Raya celebration by

Malaysian embassy BANGKOK: The Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Monday with a modest gathering, held amid the aftermath of the recent powerful earthquake in Myanmar that caused tremors in the Thai capital. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which struck Myanmar on Friday, led to the temporary closure of several high-rise buildings in Bangkok for safety reasons, including the Malaysian embassy, located on the 17th floor of Kronos Office Tower. Charge d’Affaires ad interim of Malaysia to Thailand Bong Yik Jui said this year’s celebration was particularly poignant, occurring just three days after the tremors rattled Bangkok. As a precaution, the customary Aidilfitri gathering had to be relocated from the embassy premises, which remained off-limits on Monday due to ongoing safety inspections. “Many people are still shaken and traumatised after experiencing the earthquake, so this gathering is not only timely but also an opportunity for Malaysian embassy staff to come together and find comfort in the company of friends and family,” he said on Monday. The gathering was held at Defence Attache Brig-Jen Samsul Rizal Musa’s residence near here. Around 200 guests, including representatives from the embassies of Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, attended the gathering wearing traditional attire. Alongside catered food, guests brought homemade Malaysian dishes such as nasi tomato , lemang, rendang , ayam masak merah, daging masak hitam and an assortment of kuih raya . – Bernama Asean to step up aid to Myanmar PUTRAJAYA: More support and aid from Asean member states are expected to arrive in Myanmar to assist in rescue and recovery efforts as the death toll from last week’s massive quake continues to climb. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that as Asean chair, Malaysia is working closely with fellow member states to support Myanmar in this time of need, reflecting the bloc’s collective commitment to disaster response and regional cooperation. The Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, MAS-01, arrived in Sagaing on Monday and is currently establishing a base of operations at the Sagaing Anniversary Football Pitch. Equipped with command posts, medical facilities, decontamination zones and rest areas, the base is fully self-sufficient for up to 14 days of operations. The ministry said the Malaysian team is the only international search and rescue team currently operating in Sagaing. – Bernama

SPREADING CHEER ... Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who is also Kuala Selangor MP, presenting duit raya to children at Kampung Assam Jawa’s 75th anniversary Bara’an (Ziarah Raya) event in Kuala Selangor. – BERNAMAPIC

‘Use free trade pacts to boost market potential’

exemption from the tariffs. The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry had previously said US tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China could open up opportunities for Malaysian exporters to increase production and double their exports to the US. The ministry had said in the Dewan Negara recently that the increase in prices of products from countries subject to tariffs would make Malaysian products a more competitive market alternative. “Investor countries are also expected to look for new investment destinations as well as competitive product sources to avoid paying high tariffs.” Ahmed Razman said the smooth running of Asean-related meetings so far would have a positive impact on the country from an economic, investment and trade perspective, Bernama reported. He said this was evident when Bank Negara Malaysia projected a 4.5% to 5.5% economic growth for the country this year ,which would be driven by increased domestic economic activity alongside the influx of foreign investments, including from Asean countries.

o To face any possible impact from higher US tariffs, Malaysia should not be overly dependent on one or two major trading countries, says economist

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should take advantage of all free trade agreements to further expand market potential as an early preparatory measure to face any possible impact from the implementation of tariffs by United States (US) President Donald Trump. Putra Business School Master of Business Administration Programme director Assoc Prof Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff said this could ensure that Malaysia is not overly dependent on one or two major trading countries such as the US and China. Among the free trade agreements that Malaysia has signed are the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It is also a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) partner country.

He said as Asean chair, Malaysia should also take the opportunity to increase trade activities within the region. Ahmed Razman said the impact of the tariffs on Malaysia and regional countries would only become clearer today when Donald Trump announces the rates to be imposed on 15 countries with which the US has trade deficits. He said five of these are Asean countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. “In the ‘dirty 15’ list, Malaysia is likely to be among the countries with the lowest trade surplus with the US and therefore, if the US were to impose tariffs on Malaysian goods, the rate imposed is likely to be quite low or minimal.” He added that there is still room for the Malaysian government to negotiate for an

Pakistan, Iran keen to strengthen bilateral ties with Malaysia: PM KUALA LUMPUR: Closer Malaysia-Pakistan relations have opened up space to explore various new collaborations involving both countries, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. among other things. “We had the opportunity to re-evaluate a previously agreed MoU related to investment, trade, education, research, development and science, with both parties agreeing to expedite any outstanding matters to realise the cooperation. through violent attacks on the Palestinian people. “We had the opportunity to exchange views and coordinate ideas on stopping violence and rebuilding Gaza.” He said Shehbaz would be making his maiden visit to Malaysia on May 9. Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan to Tehran last month brought positive developments in bilateral relations and cooperation.”

He added that he would expedite and facilitate all efforts to expand cooperation in the fields of investment, trade, education, research and others. Anwar said in their conversation, he also reiterated Malaysia’s appreciation for Iran’s firm and consistent stance in fighting for the rights of the Palestinian people. “This is in addition to opposing the tyranny of Israel, which is blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement and thwarting peace efforts. “We believe that solidarity and unity among Islamic countries and citizens of the world are very important in efforts to ensure lasting justice and peace in Gaza.” – Bernama

Anwar, who is also finance minister, said this is the result of his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in October last year. “ Alhamdulillah , total Pakistani investment in Malaysia has grown well and now reaches around US$397 million (RM1.76 billion). I welcome more new investments, especially in the fields of agriculture, petrochemicals and biomass,” he said in a post on his Facebook page. In the same post, he announced that he received a phone call on Monday from Shehbaz, who discussed bilateral relations,

In a separate post, Anwar said he also received a phone call from Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, during which they discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Iran, among other things. “We expressed our commitment to strengthening the friendly relations between the two countries, especially by enhancing investment and trade, in addition to expanding cooperation in various potential areas. “ Alhamdulillah , the visit of Foreign Minister

“We also had the opportunity to exchange Aidilfitri greetings and pray for the well-being of the people of both countries. I pray that the blessings of Ramadan and Aidilfitri bring blessings to the friendly relations between Malaysia and Pakistan for the well-being of the people of both countries.” Anwar said the conversation also included developments in Gaza when Israel violated the ceasefire agreement and thwarted peace efforts