ASEAN nations 'must be open'<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian countries should be open with each other in
\ndiscussing regional security, which otherwise could be
\ncompromised by their grouping's policy of noninterference, the
\nMalaysian foreign minister said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
\ncannot remain fixated on its principle of not interfering in each
\nother's internal affairs because terrorism in one country can
\nhave a profound effect on its neighbors, Foreign Minister Syed
\nHamid Albar said.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN countries have to be very open now. We cannot just
\nlimit things that happen within our borders as our internal
\naffairs,\" Syed Hamid told reporters.<\/p>\n
He did not say what kind of openness Malaysia would like to
\nsee in discussions on security, but was apparently referring to
\nintelligence sharing and asking neighboring governments to crack
\ndown on extremist groups deemed to be a cross-border threat.<\/p>\n
\"We have to look at external effects because sometimes
\n(events) outside the region can be used by some extremist groups
\nas an excuse to commit terror or acts of violence beyond their
\nborders,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Malaysia itself faces the cross-border terrorism dilemma with
\nneighboring Thailand, whose southern provinces are in the grip of
\na separatist insurgency.<\/p>\n
The Thai government claims that the extremists, who have dual
\nThai and Malaysian nationalities, often cross over to Malaysia to
\nseek refuge after staging attacks. The two governments have set
\naside the principle of noninterference to discuss the problem
\nopenly.<\/p>\n
As a demonstration of its commitment to curbing the extremist
\nproblem, Malaysia said on Wednesday it will set up a new patrol
\nregiment to curb intrusions, smuggling and other transnational
\ncrimes on its border with Thailand.<\/p>\n
Syed Hamid said he hoped for more discussions on security
\nissues in future in ASEAN forums. He said a recent meeting of
\nASEAN foreign ministers in Batam, Indonesia, discussed not only
\nsecurity in the pirate-infested Straits of Malacca but also
\nsurrounding areas such as waters off Thailand and the
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
Syed Hamid also expressed disappointment at the recent
\ndecision of Lloyds - an international shipping insurance company
\n- to put the Straits of Malacca on its list of war-risk areas,
\nwhich increased premiums on shipping insurance.<\/p>\n
\"They consider it like a war zone area. I think that's a bit
\nof exaggeration. We are disappointed because we were never
\nconsulted,\" he said. -- AP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-nations-must-be-open-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}