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Malaysia, Singapore celebrating Toilet Day

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KUALA LUMPUR, November 19 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Chekushkin) - Two Southeast Asian neighboring states, Malaysia and Singapore, are celebrating World Toilet Day, local print media said Saturday.

November 19 was declared 'World Toilet Day' in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization comprising 17 associations around the world. Since then there has been established an annual toilet summit and many other regional events. Each toilet association has also engaged in various activities promoting clean commodes in their countries.

The Singapore-based World Toilet Organization (WTO) proposed assigning rankings similar to hotel star ratings to public toilets. Five-star restrooms appeared in the island state this year, with signposts for customers' convenience.

"We can proudly say that everyone can choose a toilet corresponding to their level and demands in our country. The only unresolved problem is queues at women's toilets, but we work on this as well. Equal rights for both sexes should be reflected in all spheres of life," a Singapore newspaper quoted the WTO's branch in Singapore as saying.

In neighboring Malaysia, the heads of city administrations went out to clean public toilets today. "Representatives of each municipal council will give their fellow citizens a practical example of how to handle public restrooms," Malaysian Deputy Social Development Minister Robert Lau Hoi Chew said.

An ad promoting clean public toilets will be shown on national TV, Hoi Chew told a Malaysian newspaper. Polls show that 40% of Asians do not always handle toilet equipment properly and carefully, the publication wrote.

Since 2001, World Toilet Day has become a global platform for academics, sanitation experts, toilet designers, environmentalists and other experts to share the latest developments.

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