Malaysia cracks down on go-slow airline staff

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 9

Malaysia cracks down on go-slow airline staff

NZPA-Reuter Kuala Lumpur! I The Malaysian Govern-; ment has disbanded the Airline Employees’ Union, and: ordered that 13 of its members arrested two months! ago be detained without trial i for two years under emer-i gency laws. Nine other A.E.U. members, who were also arrested) under the Internal Security) Law in February after a goslow campaign by workers of the Malaysian Airlines) System have been released. I The go-slow and other) industrial actions by the! M.A.S.. workers belonging to the A.E.U. temporarily; (grounded all the airline’s' [flights. • The Home Minister (Tan{ I Sri Ghazali Shafie) told reporters that the detention {order was necessary because

[their actions were threat-: lening to disrupt essential ■ services and the economic life of Malaysia. I: Mr Donald Uren. Asia rep-, resentative of the London'[based International Transport Workers’ Federation who was arrested on Februiary 15 for allegedly inciting workers to take strike action .against M.A.S. was not in- ! eluded among those released ‘or detained for two years. Tan Sri Ghazali said Mr :Uren still had to go another [day or two before the 60- ' day initial detention period (expired. Under the Internal Security Act the police have , powers to arrest without (trial any suspect for 60 (days, after which the de-; [tainee must be released or held for two years on the' Home Minister's orders. Mr Uren was arrested in Penang just after attending!

: transport seminars sponsored by his federation. The Assistant Secretary-General' of the federation. Mr Johann [Hauf, who also attended the (seminar, was deported for allegedly interfering in Malaysia’s internal affairs by supporting M.A.S. workers’ industrial actions. The Registrar of Trade Unions (Mr Wahab Osman) said he had ordered the A.E.U. to be disbanded from yesterday He said the union had failed to satisfy him that it was nut responsible; for the industrial actions of M.A.S workers held b\ the Government to be illegal Those detained for two years Included the A.l-.l ,'s executive secretary. Mr A. T. Xavier, a labour adviser. Mr Kuppu Sams. and an executive committee member, Tan Ewe Bee.