KL denies row is behind pull-out

KL denies row is behind pull-out

KUALA LUMPUR (DAP): Malaysia's decision to pull out from a five-nation defense exercise for the rest of this year was due to the current economic crisis, and not to recent tensions with Singapore, a news report said yesterday.

Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar denied that he had told a Hong Kong-based regional magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review, that Malaysia was withdrawing from the war games because of problems with Singapore.

"Because of the current economic condition, we have to give priority to other things," he was quoted as saying in the Star daily. "(It) has nothing to do with Singapore."

Syed Hamid was referring to the Five-Power Defense Arrangement's air, sea and land exercises, which is held regularly in either Malaysia or Singapore and is also joined by Britain, New Zealand and Australia.