COUP: NO MALAYSIAN AFFECTED IN HONDURAS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- No Malaysian resident or visitor was
affected by the developments in Honduras where elected President Jose Manuel
Zelaya was deposed in a military-led coup last Sunday.

However, Malaysians in Honduras are advised to comply with the curfews and
other security measures that are or may be imposed in public spaces and to avoid
places where there are crowds, Malaysian ambassador to Mexico Nafisah
Mohamed said Friday.

Nafisah who is also concurrently accredited to Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica,
El-Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama said Malaysia was following the
development on Honduras carefully.

The Organisation of American States (OAS), as a regional organisation for
the Americas, was taking the lead on this and had had several meetings and
determined several courses of actions, she said in response to questions from
Bernama in her email.

"We hope that concerned Hondurans will continue to have a dialogue among
themself for a solution that is in line with the Constitution and the rule of
law of Honduras for the well-being of all Hondurans," said Nafisah who on July 1
attended the inauguration of Panama's new President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama
City.



Zelaya was deposed following his attempt to hold a non-binding referendum on
June 28, to rewrite the country's constitution on the presidential terms, an
attempt deemed as unconstitutional by the republic's Congress and Supreme Court.

The military arrested him at the president home, an hour before polls were
to open for the referendum and flew him to Costa Rica.

The head of Honduras Congress and a member of Zelaya's party, Roberto
Micheletti, was sworn in as the president, a move not recognised by any
countries so far.

The coup, the first in Central America in 16 years was widely condemned by
the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union,
and the 35-member OAS, all of whom called for the restoration of Zelaya to
power.

Following the overthrow of Zelaya, many Hondurans protested in the capital
city, Tegucigalpa, and other parts of the county, demanding the return of the
president.

--BERNAMA