KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 -- When trains on the MRT Putrajaya Line ground to a halt near Damansara Damai this week due to suspected cable theft, many commuters asked the same question: how can one stolen cable stop an entire rail line?

The short answer is modern rail systems are designed to stop first for safety reasons.

But Malaysia is not alone in facing this costly and frustrating problem - the disruption in Klang Valley is part of a much wider global pattern.

Here's what you need to know.

Is this just a Malaysian problem?

No. Cable theft is a long-standing global issue affecting developed and developing countries alike.

In Australia, copper theft left parts of Perth in darkness last year, according to Australia's national broadcaste...