KL rejects U.S, patrols in Strait of Malacca

KL rejects U.S, patrols in Strait of Malacca

Hazlin Hassan
Agence France-Presse
Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia on Tuesday rejected U.S. anti-terrorism patrols in the
Malacca Straits and criticized Singapore for apparently
suggesting it was incapable of protecting the crucial waterway.

"We take strong objection to any suggestions that any third
country should be involved in determining the safety or security
of the Malacca Straits," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid told a news
conference.

"I think the prime responsibility is with the littoral states
themselves."

Syed Hamid angrily brushed aside comments by Singapore's
Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean seen as hinting that Malaysia
needed U.S. help to safeguard the narrow waterway, which slices
peninsular Malaysia and Singapore from the Indonesian island of
Sumatra.

"We are as interested as they are to ensure the safety and
security of navigation in that area," he said.

Teo said on Monday that security along the Malacca Straits,
which carry a quarter of the world's trade and half its oil on
some 50,000 ships a year, was "not adequate" as the vessels were
natural targets for Al-Qaeda and other terrorists.

"No single state has the resources to deal effectively with
this threat," he said.

The top U.S. military commander in the Asia-Pacific region,
Admiral Thomas Fargo, said earlier this month that the U.S. was
considering the possibility of deploying U.S. forces in the
Straits as part of its counterterrorism efforts in Southeast
Asia.

The region is home to the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah
(JI) terror network accused of deadly attacks in Indonesia,
including the 2002 Bali bombing which killed more than 200
people.

Syed Hamid suggested Teo's comments could hinder efforts to
improve the sometimes testy relationship between Malaysia and
Singapore.

"Getting into public debate in the media is not going to help
in creating goodwill and understanding," he said.

"If Singapore is not happy, if you have got any concerns or
worries, it is not for you just to invite a third country to
protect the Straits," he said.

"We are trying to avoid as much as possible any debate in the
open that can create misunderstanding between our two countries,"
he said.

"I suggest to him (Teo) that if he has concerns, the best way
is to talk to Malaysia, but don't invite a third country to
safeguard something that will endanger Malaysia's sovereignty,"

"We should take advantage of the good environment at present
that exists between Malaysia and Singapore in order not to open
up new issues that become a bone of contention between the two
countries." he said

Ties between the neighbors have been prickly due to long-
running disputes over many issues including the price at which
Malaysia sells water to the resource-starved city-state, a
proposed new bridge linking the two and the use of Malaysian
airspace by Singaporean aircraft.