Kedah denies sabotaging tourism programme - The Star

LANGKAWI: The Kedah Government has denied that its raids on entertainment outlets in Langkawi were to sabotage tourism activities.

State tourism and community development committee chairman Mohammad Radzhi Salleh said the local authorities and police initiated Ops Noda Khas to check social problems.

“The Tourism Ministry should thank the local authorities for enforcing existing law to check social menace,” he said, in response to Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s call to the Pakatan Rakyat states not to sabotage the ministry’s activities.

Azalina had said that the state authorities had carried out raids at entertainment outlets during the National Water Festival in Langkawi last weekend.

“I want to make it very clear that the state government did not give any directive to the local authorities to carry out the enforcement operations.

Mohammad Radzhi said Azalina’s statement that the raids were carried out to sabotage the festival was baseless.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/12/nation/20932025&sec=nation]