Panama, Malaysia Put Temporary Ban On Chinese Visitors Over SARS Fears

The governments of Panama and Malaysia have each temporarily suspended visas for Chinese nationals in order to stop the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a deadly form of pneumonia. The disease has infected some 3,000 people worldwide and killed at least 112. Malaysia has also imposed a temporary ban on Hong Kong visitors and placed new restrictions on travelers from Canada, Taiwan and Vietnam - areas known to have been exposed to SARS. Missing from the list of countries affected by Malaysia's policy is Singapore, where the disease has infected 126 people and killed nine. Hong Kong officials said they were not consulted and called on Malaysia to reconsider, saying the decision was not justified, unnecessary, and ignores the realities of an increasingly globalized world. Hong Kong has reported 55 deaths related to SARS, second only to China.

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Indonesia Revokes Visa-Free Tourism

Indonesia is ending its visa-free entry program for tourists from several nations, including Japan, Australia and European nations. Following the terrorist bombing in Bali, the government has adopted stricter immigration policies. The October attack on a Bali hotel killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. Tourism represents a major source of revenue for Indonesia, bringing in around $5.4 billion in foreign currency last year. An immigration bureau spokesman said 11 countries would still be able to visit without a visa, countries that have the same program for Indonesian tourists, including neighboring countries such as Singapore.

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Canadian Official: Immigration Department Lost Track Of 36,000 Cases

Canadian Auditor General Sheila Fraser said the immigration department had lost track of 36,000 cases over the last six years, in her latest report to Parliament. The gap developed between the number of removal orders issued and the number of departures actually confirmed. Fraser said enforcement activities should be given a higher priority because the backlog "undermines the system used to admit people to Canada."

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Iraqi General Offered Refuge In Britain

Britain has offered amnesty to one of the top military commanders of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, in exchange for secret information, according to senior officials quoted this week by The Times. The article said it is likely the imprisoned brigadier-general will be given a new identity and his whereabouts will be kept secret. Sources say part of the deal worked out with the general included a plan for British forces to first rescue his family, hiding from Baath Party extremists in Basra.