Unity against terror sought
Unity against terror sought
M. Jegathesan, Agence France-Presse, Kuching, Malaysia
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri agreed to step up cooperation in the fight against terrorism during talks here on Thursday.
"We agreed to cooperate in defense and intelligence sharing to ensure national security. We spoke of the need for closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism," Mahathir told a joint news conference.
Megawati said Indonesia would press its proposal for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Security Community (ASC) to enhance regional security.
The proposed ASC would include centers for combating terrorism, training in peacekeeping, a center for cooperation on non-conventional issues and regular ASEAN police and defense ministers' meetings.
Asked about the perception that Indonesia was not doing enough to combat terrorism, Megawati said: "Suicide attacks can happen in any country. We have to unite to fight terrorism."
Indonesia has been the target of major terrorist attacks, in Bali last October and at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta earlier this month.
The attacks have been blamed on the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, and several Malaysians have been named along with Indonesians as being among the group's senior figures.
The two leaders also discussed Malaysia's recent arrest of more than 200 Indonesians from the troubled Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province as they sought asylum at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur.
"We do not allow illegals or Acehnese to seek political asylum in Malaysia," Mahathir told the news conference. "They are illegals and they will be caught and put in detention centers and deported."
Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters later that "both leaders agree that they (the Acehnese) will be sent back and Indonesia will cooperate to facilitate their deportation.
"The presence of Acehnese in Malaysia has nothing to do with the military operation in Aceh. They are not refugees. There is no excuse for them to come to Malaysia," he said.
Indonesia launched a massive operation to crush separatist guerrillas of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on May 19, and the UNHCR and rights group Amnesty International have protested Malaysia's detention of the asylum seekers.
The two leaders said they had also discussed a number of other issues, including improving trade, increasing cross-border investment, smuggling and piracy.
"There are no problems in our relations," said Mahathir. "We find it easy to cooperate in all fields."
The issue of illegal Indonesian immigration into Malaysia had not been completely solved but he acknowledged, "Indonesia has taken a lot of measures".
"We hope the annual meeting becomes a tradition between the leaders of the two countries," said Megawati. "It can be a platform to resolve outstanding issues."
Mahathir, who is due to retire in October after 22 years in power, said he hoped next year's meeting would be held in Indonesia. Kuching, the venue for Thursday's talks, is the capital of Malaysia's Sarawak State on Kalimantan island, which it shares with Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.
On Friday Mahathir returns to Kuala Lumpur while Megawati is due to fly to Bangkok for a visit to Thailand.