This book documents the trends and challenges that are taking place in the more important sectors of Malaysia. The chapters, written by specialists with an intimate knowledge of the country, cover major topics such as population trends and patterns, Islam Hadhari, Bangsa Malaysia, politics and the 2004 general election, civil service reforms, corporate governance, educational reforms, the impact of globalisation on the economy, and Malaysia's relations with Singapore. Recent developments in these areas are likely to have a profound bearing on Malaysia and its neighbours in the years ahead....

The Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (KSFTA) is Korea's first comprehensive FTA involving any ASEAN member country and provides a framework for building a strong strategic and economic partnership between Korea and the ASEAN countries. It is therefore designed to be a building block in the process of community building efforts towards an East Asian Community in the long run as well as towards global free trade. This book analyses and documents the rationale behind the agreement and its impact on the economies of Korea and Singapore, underpinning the growing economic linkages between the...

The South Indian Chola kings had developed a sophisticated maritime enterprise based on sea based commerce with trading contacts in Malaya, Sumatra and China. This had resulted in an ocean going fleet that was dispatched by the Chola King Rajendra Choladeva I against the Srivijaya Kingdom. The essays in this volume reflect on the naval expedition, which is also mentioned in the inscription dated 1030-31 of the big temple of Tanjavur in South India. Perhaps the most significant contribution of this volume to Asian maritime history is the translations of ancient and medieval Tamil and Sanskrit...