KL to cooperate on Malacca Straits security
KL to cooperate on Malacca Straits security
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia shares Singapore's concern over security in the Malacca
Straits and welcomes cooperation against terrorism short of the
deployment of foreign forces, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar
said on Tuesday.
The minister ruled out the idea of United States marines
helping to patrol the vital waterway, which carries half the
world's oil and a third of its trade, saying such a move would
provoke Islamic militants.
"It must not be the placing of bases or surveillance on a
permanent basis along our waters because it will attract a
different security threat from what we are used to," Syed Hamid
told reporters, adding that Malaysia's approach to security in
the strait differed only in style from Singapore and neighboring
countries.
"Malaysia's position is not in contradiction to any other
country."
The minister said collaboration and cooperation with other
countries in ensuring the security of the narrow waterway, which
slices peninsular Malaysia and Singapore from the Indonesian
island of Sumatra, was "very much welcome."
"Malaysia believes it is always positive for us to have shared
responsibilities, but this shared responsibility must not be at
the expense of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
littoral states," he said.
The minister said he believed that mistakes had been made in
response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.
"We relied heavily on a military solution to the problem
without looking at the root causes of that terrorist incident,"
said Syed Hamid.
"Unfortunately, we have yet to learn that security could not
be achieved solely through enforcement and military solutions. We
must address the underlying causes and the environment that
breeds terrorism," he added.
Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak said in Singapore on
Sunday that Malaysia would work more closely with the U.S.
against regional terrorism, but insisted U.S. forces would not be
allowed to join "interdiction" operations in the straits.
The presence of foreign forces in the region would fuel
religious fanaticism, he warned, and "set us back in our
ideological battle against extremism and militancy".
Najib told a regional security conference that he would meet
with the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Admiral Thomas
Fargo, this month to discuss maritime security.
Fargo suggested in April that one option under consideration
was putting marines and special operations forces aboard high
speed vessels in the strait.