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.