KL rejects U.S. plan for military base

KL rejects U.S. plan for military base

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia has joined Thailand and Indonesia in rejecting a U.S. plan for a new military base in Southeast Asia following the withdrawal of American troops from Subic Bay in the Philippines.

"We don't feel there is a need for such a base in Southeast Asia because we don't feel threatened by anyone, including China and Japan," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was quoted saying in local newspapers yesterday.

Washington has been scouting for a base in the region ever since it was ousted from the Philippines in 1992.

Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has turned down a U.S. request for a base in the Gulf of Siam while Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas has been quoted as saying that American presence in the region should not be in the form of military bases.