Malaysia rejects use of outside forces in SE Asia

Malaysia rejects use of outside forces in SE Asia

Agencies, Singapore

Malaysia rejected the use of foreign forces in fighting terror
threats in Southeast Asia on Sunday, saying their presence could
trigger a radical backlash among the region's mostly moderate
Muslim community.

But Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak told a security
forum, which is organized by the London-based International
Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in Singapore that his
country was open to discussions with the United States and other
nations on expanding cooperation in intelligence sharing and
surveillance.

"What we should avoid is the presence of foreign forces in
Southeast Asia, not because we distrust those from outside the
region, but because a foreign military presence will set us back
in our ideological battle against extremism and militancy," Najib
said.

"The lessons of Iraq should be clear to us: ill-prepared
liberators do make mistakes and the failure of good intentions
can cause great damage to social and political stability."

Washington is expected to begin negotiations this month with
Asian nations on a formal plan to enhance security efforts in the
region, dubbed the Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI).

Najib said he would be holding talks with Admiral Thomas
Fargo, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, on the proposal in
Malaysia before the end of the June.

Widely reported comments in March that U.S. special forces or
the Marines could be used a part of efforts to enhance security
in the busy Malacca Strait had provoked open opposition from both
Malaysia and Indonesia, which straddle the key waterway.

More than 50,000 commercial vessels travel the 805-km channel
each year, carrying about a third of the world's trade and 80
percent of Japan's oil needs.

Many in Jakarta wonder why the voice of Indonesia, the largest
country in Southeast Asia and the current chairman of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), was not heard at
such a prestigious security gathering which was being attended by
the U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and security and
defense experts from all over the world.

It seems that Indonesia did not send any cabinet minister to
Singapore to attend the meeting.

According to Maj. Gen. Sudrajat, the director-general of
defense strategy at the Ministry of Defense, the recent cabinet
meeting had decided to ask all ministers and officials to focus
on political issues at home, especially the ongoing presidential
election.

"But since the conference focused on security, the Indonesian
Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto visited Singapore
on Thursday and stayed there for about six hours in an attempt to
show our appreciation," Sudrajat told The Jakarta Post by phone.

A summary of a closed-door dialog on Sunday attended by
representatives of about 20 countries, including the United
States, said there was agreement on the need to strengthen and
improve security in the Strait of Malacca.

"Indonesia recognized the legitimate interests of other
countries in the safety and security of the Straits and was
willing to accommodate and engage them," the summary said.

Two suggestions were floated to improve regional cooperation.
One called for the enlargement of an existing forum called the
Malacca Straits Security Board. A second idea proposed by
Indonesia is for an ASEAN Maritime Security Cooperation forum.