Apple’s worldwide battery recall has sparked confusion and a little bit of frustration, especially for Apple users in Malaysia as we don’t have a local Apple Store. I managed to get hold of the Marcom Manager of Apple Malaysia but she simply directed me back to the support page. I suppose there’s not much that Apple Malaysia can announce on their own anyway.

The best thing to do is to call up Apple support at 1 800 803 638 (Malaysian toll free number). However, they’re based in Sydney so get ready for an Ozzie accent. The guy I spoke to said that for individuals out of town that have difficulty going to an Authorised Service Providers, they will work something out and try to send you a new battery, once they have confirmed your machine is one of the affected ones. No promises though. So yeah, give them a call. Also, check out the additional FAQs for affected iBook and Powerbook owners in Asia. Update: More useful tips in the myMUG forum thread.

In related news, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has ordered Sony and Dell to investigate the battery troubles, reports Businessweek. The ministry further says that Sony and Dell must report on their findings and say how they will prevent future problems by the end of August, or face a fine under Japan’s consumer safety laws.

Also, other computer manufacturers are getting smart and banding together to formulate a battery manufacturing standard. Sounds like a good idea, they wouldn’t want their laptops bursting into flames twice from a single battery like this Vaio.