U.S. seen as losing influence in SE Asia

U.S. seen as losing influence in SE Asia

The United States is in danger of losing its influence in
Southeast Asia and the quest for the hearts of minds of Muslims,
a report on the challenges facing the U.S. in Asia said on
Tuesday.

Any U.S. assistance to progressive and modernist groups within
Islam should be carried out with skill and sensitivity, the Asia
Foundation warned in Singapore in its recommendations for closer
ties.

The U.S. should not give the impression it favors particular
groups of Muslims over others, it added, and encouraged
scholarship programs for Muslim students.

The foundation, a non-profit organization with its
headquarters in San Francisco, also urged the U.S. to help
develop a regional framework to prevent maritime terrorism in
Southeast Asia and work towards an annual U.S.-ASEAN summit on
the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

In launching the report on Monday, Tommy Koh, chairman of the
Institute of Policy Studies here, noted China, Japan, South
Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand have had summits with the
10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

A summit between the U.S. and ASEAN "would allow for a more
substantive exchange of ideas and positions, as well as
demonstrating to the region that it is a priority for the U.S.,"
said the think-tank chief.

Koh, a former Singapore ambassador to the U.S. and permanent
representative to the United Nations, said Southeast Asia
supports the U.S. in its global campaign against terror.

"Southeast Asians would, however, like to remind the U.S. that
the war against terrorism cannot be won by military means alone,"
he said.

The strategy should include social, economic, political and
military components.

ASEAN includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the
Philippines, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. -- DPA