Malaysian security forces gunned down 32 Filipino intruders in Borneo, bringing the death toll in the three-week long standoff to 60, after armed followers of a self-proclaimed Filipino Muslim Sultan took over an entire village in Sabah province.
Aiming to enhance civil liberties in the country, Malaysia will abolish a colonial-era draconian law that allows security forces to detain suspects indefinitely and was used by authorities to crush protests by a Hindu rights group.
The Malaysian deputy prime minister also said more was being done to increase the intake of ethnic Indians in the civil service.
Nearly 40,000 Indian nationals have gone "missing" in Malaysia after the expiry of their tourist visas, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Tun Razak said on Monday, indicating that he may take up the issue with New Delhi during his forthcoming visit to India.
Considering the common linkages, high-level trust, complementarities, and convergent interests between the two nations, Malaysia has the potential to become India's key partner in Southeast Asia, says Dr Rahul Mishra.