Military boost necessary to combat regional threats
Military boost necessary to combat regional threats
KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Warning of "worrisome trends" in Indonesia and the Philippines, Malaysian defense authorities pledged Tuesday to magnify their military might to protect national security.
"We are realistic to note that regional issues could well pose a direct threat to our national security," Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak told senior security officials.
"Within Southeast Asia, there are worrisome trends and ominous signs of the collapse of states," he said. "We'll continue to upgrade our defense systems with much more sophisticated military assets."
Najib, speaking at a conference titled "National Security: Facing the Challenges," urged Malaysia's neighbors to forge closer military ties with each other to enhance regional resilience to security threats.
The government has lately taken unprecedented steps to safeguard its borders following two consecutive incursions this year by Muslim militants from the southern Philippines.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels sparked fears over poor security in Southeast Asian waters when they stormed Malaysia's resort island of Sipadan off northeastern Borneo in April and took 21 hostages, including foreign tourists, to Jolo island.
The separatist group has since released most of the Sipadan hostages, with Libya and Malaysia reportedly paying more than $15 million to free 19 captives.
The large ransom payments are speculated to have spurred the rebels to attack another Malaysian diving resort near Sipadan two weeks ago and kidnap three more hostages.
The fresh abductions caused Philippine President Joseph Estrada to halt hostage negotiations and order an ongoing military barrage starting Sept. 16 on the Abu Sayyaf, who now hold 17 captives in Jolo.
Malaysia has struggled to assure foreign tourists that the country is still safe to visit. Authorities are deploying hundreds of soldiers to guard Borneo's resort islands and tripling the number of ships patrolling the surrounding waters.
The country's defense minister has warned, however, that the measures are not an "absolute guarantee." Officials say the Sulu and Celebes Seas between Malaysia and the Philippines are peppered with too many islands and inlets to completely monitor.
Najib on Tuesday insisted that Malaysia must prepare for a possible increase of illegal immigrants from neighboring countries. He said the government was bracing its shores for "an exodus of refugees" fleeing the military assault on Jolo island, barely an hour away by boat.
Malaysia also faces a growing number of illegal immigrants from Indonesia, including from war-torn Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra island. Authorities this week detained dozens of Acehnese who crossed the narrow Malacca Strait to seek employment in Malaysia.