Touching down

The dadah Act-dadah is the malay word for drugs-stipulates a mandatory death sentence upon conviction for anuome in possession of 15 or more grams of heroin or morphine, 200g of cannabis or hashish or 40g of cocaine. those caught with more than 10g of heroin or 100g of cannabis are deemed to be traffickers end face lengthy jail sentences and flogging with a rotan cane following the execution of two Australian in1986 the then Australians in Australian Prime Minister, Hawke, branded the Malaysian government barbaric, A similar outcry resulted from the hanging of a Briton in 1987: ,the British opposition even called for a trade embargo of Malaysia But Malaysian Prime Minister Or Mahathir Mohamad, who is a medical doctor and as such has taken the Hippocratic Oath, has consistently refused to bow to international pleas for clemency In a British television documentary in 1991, The Prime Minister, the jungle and the boys on death row, he said we have to carry out this death penalty because it would nor be fair to those who had already been hanged and their families.

Pointing Using the index finger to point at people, even at objects, is regarded insulting. Use the thumb or whole hand to indicate something, or to wave down a taxi.

General Everywhere in southeast Asia, losing face brings shame. You lose face if you lose your temper, and even in a situation like bargaining, using a loud voice or wild gesticulations will be taken to signify anger By the same token, the person you shout at will also feel loss of fare too, particularly it is happens in public. It should also be, noted that in Muslim company it is impolite to touch others with the left hand and other objects -even loose change Although men shake hands, for a man to shake woman's and is not the norm outside KL. Indeed excessive personal contact should, be avoided: Malays, especially, do not tend to slap one another the back

Private homes Remove shoes before entering a private home; it is usual to bring a small gift for the host.

Religion Remove shoes before entering mosques and Hindu and Buddhist temples in mosques, women should cover their heads, shoulders and legs and men she, wear long trousers.

Tipping
Tipping is unusual in Malaysia as a service of 10% is added automatically to restaurants and hotel bills, plus 5% government tax. Nor is tipping expected in smaller restaurants where a service charge is rot automatically added to the bill for personal service Porterage for example a modest tip may be appropriate.

Safety
Normal precautions should be taken with passports and valuables such as cameras many hotel have safes. Pickpocketing is a problem in some cities Women-if not by men usually attract unwarranted attention, particularly in more Islamic areas such as the east coast. Mostly this is bravado, however, and there have incidents involving foreign tourists.

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