AFP-Asia holds breath as millennium

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Subject: AFP-Asia holds breath as millennium bug fears linger

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Sunday, January 2 3:25 PM SGT=20
Asia holds breath as millennium bug fears linger
HONG KONG, Jan 2 (AFP) -=20
Asia was holding its breath Sunday as celebrations that the feared =
millennium bug had left it largely unscathed gave way to fears that the =
Y2K gremlin was yet to make its presence felt in the region.

Flights, bank systems, power plants and other utilities thought to be =
vulnerable to computer glitches as a result of the switch to the year =
2000 were generally reported to be operating without any major problems =
in the first hours of the new millennium.

But experts cautioned the worst could be yet to come.

The following is a roundup of the situation in leading Asian capitals:

BANGKOK: The government's Y2K control centre says "no problems =
reported." Thai Airways International dispatched its first flights of =
the century a few moments after midnight to Osaka and Tokyo. Only 20 =
percent of available seats filled.

Thailand's Stock Exchange, which was holding a full day's simulation of =
trading, and the country's banks reported no problems. Cash machines in =
central Bangkok operating normally.

BEIJING: A small number of banks in China experienced problems in its =
internal e-mail and credit card systems as a result of the Y2K computer =
bug, but no major troubles occurred, officials said Sunday.

In Qinghai province, which borders Tibet in western China, branches of =
the People's Bank of China encountered breakdowns in their internal and =
interbank e-mail systems, said Chen Jing, director general of the =
People's Bank of China's department of technology.

"It's an isolated case. They're using telephones to communicate in the =
meantime until the system is repaired," said Chen.

The central People's Bank has set up a command centre to monitor =
problems in banks throughout the country.

Machines which process credit card transactions also broke down at some =
banks on January 1, but have been repaired and were operating properly =
Sunday, Chen said.

Many banks saw an increase in customers using automatic teller machines =
(ATMs) to print balance statements on December 31 so they would have a =
record in case any computer troubles cause problems in the banks' =
records, Chen said.

But he said no bank runs or major incidents occurred.

"We haven't received a single complaint from anyone so far," Chen said. =
"It's going better than we expected."

ATM machines, most of which were shut down to avoid problems on December =
31 and January 1, resumed operating on Sunday and did not show any =
hiccups.

The government's emergency co-ordination body, the National Y2K =
Information Support Centre, on Sunday said China's two nuclear power =
plants, as well as its aviation, road, maritime, telecommunications and =
others systems did not report any problems.

"All departments are functioning normally," said an official at the =
centre.

Taxi meters in Jiangsu province in eastern China blanked out, forcing =
drivers and passengers to do calculations by hand, he said, but added =
they were isolated cases.

China, while appearing to have passed the millennium switchover =
unscathed, is preparing for Monday when the bulk of businesses reopen =
for full operation after the holiday.

"We'll stay on 24-hour alert until January 4," a Beijing city command =
post spokesman said. Every major city and every province has set up a =
command centre to report problems to the national centre.

International experts have also warned some Y2K troubles might not =
appear until well into the New Year, with February 29, a leap year date, =
especially likely to trigger date-related computer errors.

The national command centre plans and the People's Bank's command post =
plan resume their watch for the bug from February 28 through February =
29.

DHAKA: Bangladesh's key sectors, including defence and banking, "rolled =
over" smoothly through the Y2K computer deadline.

But officials of the government's Y2K emergency unit said they would, =
continue to monitor the situtation until Monday.

HANOI: "There have been no incidents related to Y2K until now," Chu Hao, =
chairman of the Y2K steering committee told AFP.

But he noted during the next few days there was a risk of problems =
arising in sectors where systems have not been tested because of the =
holiday.

HONG KONG: A government spokeswoman said not one single bug incident had =
been reported. Sectors considered the most vulnerable -- power, =
telecommunications, broadcasting, aviation and transport, and finance -- =
successfully completed post-New Year's checks, she said.

Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan warned the "real test" =
would come Monday, the first working day of the new millennium here.

KARACHI: Ijaz H. Khawaja the chief Pakistan's Y2K control centre said no =
immediate glitches were reported but the Karachi Stock Exchange remained =
closed Saturday due to fears of Y2K.

Karachi Stock Exchange official, Abdullah Jan, said Saturday "we had a =
grand mock trading session. Like any other normal day it remained =
successful.".

Salim Anwer, head of the Pakistan International Airlines reported normal =
flight operations.

KATHMANDU: No Y2K problems were reported.

The government spent nearly 1.2 million dollars replacing five =
switch-boards at the Nepal Telecommunications Corp to avert the collapse =
of over 250,000 telephone lines.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian hospitals are to defer elective surgeries until =
January 14 amid minor glitches during the transition into the year 2000, =
a report said Sunday.

Health Minister Chua Jui Meng was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star =
that there had been minor problems in hospitals due to the millennium =
bug but these were resolved quickly.

"Some problems were Y2K-related and some were mechanical glitches but =
they were minor. No patients were affected," he said.

Authorities would review whether to resume elective surgeries earlier =
following the generally successful rollover into the new year, Chua =
added.

The health ministry earlier ordered all elective surgeries to be =
deferred to January 14 under its Y2K contingency plan.

The National Y2K Operation Centre, which is monitoring potential =
glitches nationwide, said Sunday the disruptions in hospitals involved =
equipment which did not have any impact on operations.

"The health ministry gave further reassurance that the minor disruptions =
do not pose any real problem and that the services and operations =
continue as usual," a statement from the centre said.

Other critical sectors, including energy, banking and financial, =
reported no Y2K-related problems, it said. The center will continue its =
round-the-clock surveillance until early Tuesday.

The New Sunday Times said in an editorial that the real test of the =
financial system would come on Monday when businesses resume but added =
the country have been prepared to deal with any eventuality.

"It is too early for the scale of the Y2K phenomenon to emerge but no =
one should be unduly worried," it said. "It may well be that the most =
dangerous aspect of the bug is not the bug itself but the complacency =
and the procrastination of some people."

The National Y2K Operation Centre reported no problems after months of =
anxiety and the spending of 1.85 billion ringgit (487 million dollars) =
in various sectors.

MANILA: The bug caused no problems in the Philippnes, a government =
monitoring task force said. No disruption was reported to utilities, =
transport and communications systems.

Transportation Secretary Vicenete Rivera joined a Philippine Airlines =
flight to and from the central city of Cebu to demonstrate it was safe =
to fly on January 1.

NEW DELHI: India said nine key sectors of the economy including power, =
banking and telecommunications had rolled over the Y2K computer deadline =
without faltering.

Indias Information Technology Secretary P.V Jayakrishnan, said the =
National Informatics Centre, which had monitored the economy's key =
sectors, had given a "safe" verdict.

India's banking and insurance sectors faced no problems, but wanted to =
"wait and watch" till January 3, before giving their final okay.

SEOUL: The government crisis centre reported no problems with defence =
systems or in other vulnerable sectors.

Captain Lee Sung-Jai, the defense ministry's Y2K official, said: "After =
the passage into the new year, we checked all the systems, including =
missiles and jets, but could not find any problems."

Officials cautioned problems could yet emerge once normal business =
resumes January 3.

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported no problems and the stock exchange =
successfully simulated trading. But the bill for Y2K compliance was =
estimated at more than one billion Singapore dollars (602 million US).

More than 50,000 people worked through the night monitoring critical =
operations. The total cost of making systems Y2K compatible in Singapore =
might have been up to three billion dollars.

SYDNEY: The only reported mishap related to mobile bus ticket validation =
machines in South Australia and Tasmania.

Electricity services and broadcasters reported no problems while major =
telecommunications carriers experienced only the usual New Year =
congestion.

More than 50 banks and building societies advised the Reserve Bank of =
Australia of a smooth transition. The Stock Exchange said its trading =
system had survived. Air Services Australia said rollover in aviation =
was smooth.

Fears surrounding the bug were evident with the government's special Y2K =
website recording more than five million hits in the 12 hours after =
midnight -- exeeding the record number of visits to the Atlanta Olympics =
website. Australia spent more than 12 billion dollars (7.8 billion US) =
on anti-bug preparations.

TOKYO: Minor computer-related faults struck seven nuclear facilities in =
Japan at the start of 2000 Saturday and a few could be related to the =
millennium bug, officials said.

None of the glitches, three of them occuring within one hour into the =
new millennium, posed any danger despite vexing a nation still haunted =
by a serious nuclear accident three months ago, they said.

Six of the facilites were nuclear power plants.

Some ticket vending machines broke down or showed false data. The =
problems were quickly solved.

Two million state and corporate officials were on guard around the =
country and many people had followed government advice to stock up with =
three days' worth of food and water just in case.

The head of Japan Airlines (JAL) flew home safely from Hawaii Saturday =
in a flight across the international dateline to demonstrate his =
company's readiness against any year-2000 problems.

YANGON: A government spokesman said there had been no disruption from =
the millennium computer bug.

Computers have not penetrated deep into Myanmar society -- many =
government offices and businesses operate on age-old principles of paper =
pushing administration.


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Sunday, January 2</B> 3:25 PM SGT=20
<H2><FONT size=3D4>Asia holds breath as millennium bug fears=20
linger</FONT></H2>HONG KONG, Jan 2 (AFP) -=20
<P>Asia was holding its breath Sunday as celebrations that the feared =
millennium=20
bug had left it largely unscathed gave way to fears that the Y2K gremlin =
was yet=20
to make its presence felt in the region.</P>
<P>Flights, bank systems, power plants and other utilities thought to be =

vulnerable to computer glitches as a result of the switch to the year =
2000 were=20
generally reported to be operating without any major problems in the =
first hours=20
of the new millennium.</P>
<P>But experts cautioned the worst could be yet to come.</P>
<P>The following is a roundup of the situation in leading Asian =
capitals:</P>
<P>BANGKOK: The government's Y2K control centre says "no problems =
reported."=20
Thai Airways International dispatched its first flights of the century a =
few=20
moments after midnight to Osaka and Tokyo. Only 20 percent of available =
seats=20
filled.</P>
<P>Thailand's Stock Exchange, which was holding a full day's simulation =
of=20
trading, and the country's banks reported no problems. Cash machines in =
central=20
Bangkok operating normally.</P>
<P>BEIJING: A small number of banks in China experienced problems in its =

internal e-mail and credit card systems as a result of the Y2K computer =
bug, but=20
no major troubles occurred, officials said Sunday.</P>
<P>In Qinghai province, which borders Tibet in western China, branches =
of the=20
People's Bank of China encountered breakdowns in their internal and =
interbank=20
e-mail systems, said Chen Jing, director general of the People's Bank of =
China's=20
department of technology.</P>
<P>"It's an isolated case. They're using telephones to communicate in =
the=20
meantime until the system is repaired," said Chen.</P>
<P>The central People's Bank has set up a command centre to monitor =
problems in=20
banks throughout the country.</P>
<P>Machines which process credit card transactions also broke down at =
some banks=20
on January 1, but have been repaired and were operating properly Sunday, =
Chen=20
said.</P>
<P>Many banks saw an increase in customers using automatic teller =
machines=20
(ATMs) to print balance statements on December 31 so they would have a =
record in=20
case any computer troubles cause problems in the banks' records, Chen =
said.</P>
<P>But he said no bank runs or major incidents occurred.</P>
<P>"We haven't received a single complaint from anyone so far," Chen =
said. "It's=20
going better than we expected."</P>
<P>ATM machines, most of which were shut down to avoid problems on =
December 31=20
and January 1, resumed operating on Sunday and did not show any =
hiccups.</P>
<P>The government's emergency co-ordination body, the National Y2K =
Information=20
Support Centre, on Sunday said China's two nuclear power plants, as well =
as its=20
aviation, road, maritime, telecommunications and others systems did not =
report=20
any problems.</P>
<P>"All departments are functioning normally," said an official at the=20
centre.</P>
<P>Taxi meters in Jiangsu province in eastern China blanked out, forcing =
drivers=20
and passengers to do calculations by hand, he said, but added they were =
isolated=20
cases.</P>
<P>China, while appearing to have passed the millennium switchover =
unscathed, is=20
preparing for Monday when the bulk of businesses reopen for full =
operation after=20
the holiday.</P>
<P>"We'll stay on 24-hour alert until January 4," a Beijing city command =
post=20
spokesman said. Every major city and every province has set up a command =
centre=20
to report problems to the national centre.</P>
<P>International experts have also warned some Y2K troubles might not =
appear=20
until well into the New Year, with February 29, a leap year date, =
especially=20
likely to trigger date-related computer errors.</P>
<P>The national command centre plans and the People's Bank's command =
post plan=20
resume their watch for the bug from February 28 through February 29.</P>
<P>DHAKA: Bangladesh's key sectors, including defence and banking, =
"rolled over"=20
smoothly through the Y2K computer deadline.</P>
<P>But officials of the government's Y2K emergency unit said they would, =

continue to monitor the situtation until Monday.</P>
<P>HANOI: "There have been no incidents related to Y2K until now," Chu =
Hao,=20
chairman of the Y2K steering committee told AFP.</P>
<P>But he noted during the next few days there was a risk of problems =
arising in=20
sectors where systems have not been tested because of the holiday.</P>
<P>HONG KONG: A government spokeswoman said not one single bug incident =
had been=20
reported. Sectors considered the most vulnerable -- power, =
telecommunications,=20
broadcasting, aviation and transport, and finance -- successfully =
completed=20
post-New Year's checks, she said.</P>
<P>Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan warned the "real test" =
would=20
come Monday, the first working day of the new millennium here.</P>
<P>KARACHI: Ijaz H. Khawaja the chief Pakistan's Y2K control centre said =
no=20
immediate glitches were reported but the Karachi Stock Exchange remained =
closed=20
Saturday due to fears of Y2K.</P>
<P>Karachi Stock Exchange official, Abdullah Jan, said Saturday "we had =
a grand=20
mock trading session. Like any other normal day it remained =
successful.".</P>
<P>Salim Anwer, head of the Pakistan International Airlines reported =
normal=20
flight operations.</P>
<P>KATHMANDU: No Y2K problems were reported.</P>
<P>The government spent nearly 1.2 million dollars replacing five =
switch-boards=20
at the Nepal Telecommunications Corp to avert the collapse of over =
250,000=20
telephone lines.</P>
<P>KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian hospitals are to defer elective surgeries =
until=20
January 14 amid minor glitches during the transition into the year 2000, =
a=20
report said Sunday.</P>
<P>Health Minister Chua Jui Meng was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star =
that=20
there had been minor problems in hospitals due to the millennium bug but =
these=20
were resolved quickly.</P>
<P>"Some problems were Y2K-related and some were mechanical glitches but =
they=20
were minor. No patients were affected," he said.</P>
<P>Authorities would review whether to resume elective surgeries earlier =

following the generally successful rollover into the new year, Chua =
added.</P>
<P>The health ministry earlier ordered all elective surgeries to be =
deferred to=20
January 14 under its Y2K contingency plan.</P>
<P>The National Y2K Operation Centre, which is monitoring potential =
glitches=20
nationwide, said Sunday the disruptions in hospitals involved equipment =
which=20
did not have any impact on operations.</P>
<P>"The health ministry gave further reassurance that the minor =
disruptions do=20
not pose any real problem and that the services and operations continue =
as=20
usual," a statement from the centre said.</P>
<P>Other critical sectors, including energy, banking and financial, =
reported no=20
Y2K-related problems, it said. The center will continue its =
round-the-clock=20
surveillance until early Tuesday.</P>
<P>The New Sunday Times said in an editorial that the real test of the =
financial=20
system would come on Monday when businesses resume but added the country =
have=20
been prepared to deal with any eventuality.</P>
<P>"It is too early for the scale of the Y2K phenomenon to emerge but no =
one=20
should be unduly worried," it said. "It may well be that the most =
dangerous=20
aspect of the bug is not the bug itself but the complacency and the=20
procrastination of some people."</P>
<P>The National Y2K Operation Centre reported no problems after months =
of=20
anxiety and the spending of 1.85 billion ringgit (487 million dollars) =
in=20
various sectors.</P>
<P>MANILA: The bug caused no problems in the Philippnes, a government =
monitoring=20
task force said. No disruption was reported to utilities, transport and=20
communications systems.</P>
<P>Transportation Secretary Vicenete Rivera joined a Philippine Airlines =
flight=20
to and from the central city of Cebu to demonstrate it was safe to fly =
on=20
January 1.</P>
<P>NEW DELHI: India said nine key sectors of the economy including =
power,=20
banking and telecommunications had rolled over the Y2K computer deadline =
without=20
faltering.</P>
<P>Indias Information Technology Secretary P.V Jayakrishnan, said the =
National=20
Informatics Centre, which had monitored the economy's key sectors, had =
given a=20
"safe" verdict.</P>
<P>India's banking and insurance sectors faced no problems, but wanted =
to "wait=20
and watch" till January 3, before giving their final okay.</P>
<P>SEOUL: The government crisis centre reported no problems with defence =
systems=20
or in other vulnerable sectors.</P>
<P>Captain Lee Sung-Jai, the defense ministry's Y2K official, said: =
"After the=20
passage into the new year, we checked all the systems, including =
missiles and=20
jets, but could not find any problems."</P>
<P>Officials cautioned problems could yet emerge once normal business =
resumes=20
January 3.</P>
<P>SINGAPORE: Singapore reported no problems and the stock exchange =
successfully=20
simulated trading. But the bill for Y2K compliance was estimated at more =
than=20
one billion Singapore dollars (602 million US).</P>
<P>More than 50,000 people worked through the night monitoring critical=20
operations. The total cost of making systems Y2K compatible in Singapore =
might=20
have been up to three billion dollars.</P>
<P>SYDNEY: The only reported mishap related to mobile bus ticket =
validation=20
machines in South Australia and Tasmania.</P>
<P>Electricity services and broadcasters reported no problems while =
major=20
telecommunications carriers experienced only the usual New Year =
congestion.</P>
<P>More than 50 banks and building societies advised the Reserve Bank of =

Australia of a smooth transition. The Stock Exchange said its trading =
system had=20
survived. Air Services Australia said rollover in aviation was =
smooth.</P>
<P>Fears surrounding the bug were evident with the government's special =
Y2K=20
website recording more than five million hits in the 12 hours after =
midnight --=20
exeeding the record number of visits to the Atlanta Olympics website. =
Australia=20
spent more than 12 billion dollars (7.8 billion US) on anti-bug=20
preparations.</P>
<P>TOKYO: Minor computer-related faults struck seven nuclear facilities =
in Japan=20
at the start of 2000 Saturday and a few could be related to the =
millennium bug,=20
officials said.</P>
<P>None of the glitches, three of them occuring within one hour into the =
new=20
millennium, posed any danger despite vexing a nation still haunted by a =
serious=20
nuclear accident three months ago, they said.</P>
<P>Six of the facilites were nuclear power plants.</P>
<P>Some ticket vending machines broke down or showed false data. The =
problems=20
were quickly solved.</P>
<P>Two million state and corporate officials were on guard around the =
country=20
and many people had followed government advice to stock up with three =
days'=20
worth of food and water just in case.</P>
<P>The head of Japan Airlines (JAL) flew home safely from Hawaii =
Saturday in a=20
flight across the international dateline to demonstrate his company's =
readiness=20
against any year-2000 problems.</P>
<P>YANGON: A government spokesman said there had been no disruption from =
the=20
millennium computer bug.</P>
<P>Computers have not penetrated deep into Myanmar society -- many =
government=20
offices and businesses operate on age-old principles of paper pushing=20
administration.</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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