12.30.2009

diplomacy: you're doing it wrong

1. diplomat a suspect in hit and run

THE Romanian diplomat who claimed that his embassy car was stolen at the time it was involved in a hit-and-run accident a fortnight ago is now a suspect in the case.

Dr Silviu Ionescu, the charge d'affaires of the Romanian Embassy in Singapore, has not been ruled out as the person behind the wheel of the Audi car in the early morning hit-and-run.

One of the three men who was hit in the Bukit Panjang accident has died. In response to queries on Dr Ionescu on Tuesday, the police would only say they had 'not ruled out any suspect surfaced in the course of our investigations'. Investigations were still under way with officers 'following up on all available leads'. The police had earlier written to the embassy asking for more details on the accident. Checks by The Straits Times revealed that Dr Ionescu left the country sometime last week. Attempts to reach him on his Singapore mobile have been unsuccessful.

source: straits times


2. Filipina housekeeper found dead in Vienna identified


MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs has identified the Filipina housekeeper who was found dead Tuesday (Vienna time) in the house of the Lebanese ambassador to Austria.

Romalyn L. Basalo, 30, bore stab wounds when she was found December 29, said lawyer Eduardo J. Malaya, DFA spokesman, quoting a report from the Philippine embassy in Vienna.

read more @ global nation


3. Lebanese ambassador returns to Vienna after housekeeper found dead

Lebanese ambassador to Austria Ishaya al-Khoury has interrupted his holiday to return to Vienna after his 30-year-old Philippine housekeeper was found dead.

Khoury was out in Beirut when the ambassador's cook, the only person in the residence at the time, found the Filipina's body in the building's cellar, local police said. She appeared to have been stabbed several times.

A statement from the Lebanese foreign ministry said Khoury "interrupted his holiday to return to Vienna."

They did not consider the incident as an attack on the Lebanese mission there but a personal matter and promised full cooperation with Austrian investigators, the statement added.

Austrian foreign ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal said Lebanese authorities had alerted them to the discovery and had allowed Austrian police to enter the building.

Under normal diplomatic rules, an ambassador's residence does not fall under Austrian jurisdiction.(Naharnet-AFP)

source: naharnet



4. Swede in coma after Philippines attack


A Swedish citizen is fighting for his life after being assaulted by two security guards at a nightclub in Angeles City in the Philippines.

The 51-year-old from western Sweden is being treated at a hospital in Angeles City after he was seriously beaten by the guards at a nightclub in the city's entertainment district shortly before Christmas.


Sources say the victim remains in a coma after the attack. "Two security guards have been indicted on charges of attempted murder," foreign ministry spokesman Anders Jörle told The Local. The Swedish Consul General in Manila was not available for comment when contacted by The Local.

Located in the Pampanga province, Angeles City is widely known as a popular destination for sex tourists and is especially notorious for child prostitution.

source: the local

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