The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has temporarily banned import of poultry from Malaysia after the country reported a fresh outbreak of bird flu, Al-Watan reported yesterday. The ban also includes all Asian countries with a history of bird flu outbreak. They include Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand as well as Cambodia, Tibet and Hong Kong. Commerce Minister Hashim Yamani issued a decision last February banning all Asian poultry coming through King Abdul Aziz port in Dammam. Saudi Arabia is among the first countries in the Gulf region to ban import of Asian poultry following the outbreak of bird flu in the region last year. --MORE 1123 Local Time 0823 GMT
