Obama's Half-Sister Calls On M'sian Deputy PM

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), June 8 (Bernama) -- Dr Maya Soetoro-Ng (right), an education specialist and a half-sister of United States President Barack Obama, on Friday called on Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (left) at his office at the Education Ministry here. U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Paul W. Jones and former Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin were also present at the meeting. Soetoro-Ng is on a six-day visit to Malaysia from Wednesday as a member of the East-West Centre delegation from the United States. The others in the four-member delegation are the centre's president, Dr Charles Morrison, board member Puongpun Sananikone and director for the education programme, Dr Terrence Bigalke. Soetoro-Ng is scheduled to hold discussions on education and meet with students and academics from Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) colleges and the PERMATApintar early childhood education programme, among others. She is also scheduled to launch an exhibition of a collection of 20 Indonesian batik pieces belonging to her late mother, at the Islamic Arts Museum, from Friday, the first display of the collection outside the United States. (photoBERNAMA) MALAYSIA