RI, Malaysia model Moslem states: Expert
RI, Malaysia model Moslem states: Expert
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Strong economic growth in predominantly Moslem Malaysia and Indonesia has proven that Islam is not incompatible with rapid development, a U.S. military official said yesterday.
Vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff William Owens said the booming economies and political stability of both countries showed that other Islamic nations could also pursue development policies in harmony with religion.
"Southeast Asia's many positive values will enable it to lead the rest of the world through ASEAN," Owens was reported saying by the Bernama news agency.
Because Islam and free enterprise successfully coexist in Indonesia, Owens asserted that the two can contribute to success and prosperity for other Islamic nations.
ASEAN groups Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei.
Owens said ASEAN could help find peaceful solutions to various crises, such as the territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and the diplomatic tiff between Beijing and Manila over Mischief Reef.
Military
The Spratlys, a long string of sparsely populated islands, are claimed wholly or in part by Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.
Asked about Vietnam's entry into ASEAN, Owens said it was a good sign now that Vietnam is also experiencing an economic explosion similar to others in Southeast Asia.
Owens is in the region to meet with civilian and military leaders to discuss the U.S. commitment to ASEAN and issues of mutual concern.
Asked about the American presence in the Pacific, Owens said that he hoped it could help maintain stability in the region and help deter other countries from building up military capabilities for purposes other than defense.
He told reporters Monday that the U.S. navy planned to situate its "floating arsenal" in two spots in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
The commercial ships -- loaded with heavy arms as well as humanitarian and medical supplies for crisis situations -- would be located around Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and Guam in the Pacific Ocean, he said.
The sites were chosen after Thailand rejected a proposal to house the arsenal in its waters, saying it feared a negative reaction from China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.