Japanese and Thai embassies in security scare
The Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was evacuated today and police rushed to the Thai Embassy after both buildings received suspicious packages.
It was not immediately clear whether there was any threat to either embassy, officials and witnesses said.
Police have increased security for embassies and tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur following Saturday’s bomb attacks that killed 22 people on neighbouring Indonesia’s Bali island.
Staff were instructed to leave the Japanese Embassy building by a message on the mission’s public announcement system, but no reason was given, an embassy official said.
Witnesses said police sealed off part of the road in front of the Japanese Embassy, and there were ambulances outside. Officers from the fire department’s hazardous material unit entered the building and came out carrying a small package.
Omar Zakaria, an official with the police bomb squad, said the embassy received a package addressed to the Japanese ambassador, bearing a postmark from Malaysia’s north-eastern Kelantan state.
The package contained some papers and has been sent for laboratory testing, Omar said. Other officers said there was also a liquid substance in the package.
About an hour later, police were called to the nearby Thai Embassy, which reported receiving a letter that contained “a suspicious substance,” said an embassy employee.
Police took away the envelope, but the building was not evacuated, said the official.
