June 9th 2004
by Woon Wui Tek
MALAYSIA'S Deputy Prime Minister maintains it would be counter-productive to have a strong presence of foreign troops or assets in the region, but his country is ready to further discuss Washington's maritime security initiative.
But as a measure of how much movement there has been, the top admiral in the United States Pacific Fleet will meet Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, also Defence Minister, later this month.
When that same commander, Admiral Thomas Fargo, said previously that US forces in high-speed vessels might run anti-terror patrols in the Malacca Straits, Malaysia rejected the idea, citing issues of national sovereignty.
Datuk Seri Najib again spoke out against having such foreign forces, at the just-concluded security conference here.
This was 'not because we distrust those from outside the region, but because a foreign military presence will set us back in our ideological battle against extremism and militancy'.
But he said 'we should definitely expand our cooperation with the US and others, in terms of acquiring and sharing quality intelligence'.
Then, in disclosing Admiral Fargo's upcoming visit, he said one topic for discussion was engaging 'in possible exercises, in the form of specific anti-piracy or anti-terrorist type of operations which, maybe, some countries are more familiar with and more experienced in than us'.
He added: 'But I believe and I am made to understand that the actual interdiction, if it comes to that, would come to the littoral states to execute.'
Observers at the conference said such developments, including a willingness to discuss Washington's Regional Maritime Security Initiative, are indeed encouraging signs of forward movement on the issue of maritime security.
It has also helped that senior US officials, including Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, have recently backed down - saying Admiral Fargo had been misunderstood as there were no plans for bases or standing forces to patrol the strait.
Dr John Chipman, director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, observed that positions seemed to have adjusted towards 'potential alignment'.
Singapore Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh was also encouraged, saying he saw 'points of convergence'.
Among these points were that primary responsibility for the sea lanes would remain with littoral states - including Indonesia and Malaysia - but that the US and others could also be involved.
In his speech at the conference, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan noted that over 50,000 ships passed through the Straits each year - and then brought home to the audience the importance of maritime security.
If terrorists could seize 'a tanker, a large ship, and sink it into a critical, narrow part of the straits, it would cripple world trade', he said. 'It would have the large, iconic impact that terrorists seek.'
Terrorists might even use a captured tanker as a floating bomb to destroy a port and kill many people.
Datuk Seri Najib agreed there was a need to increase cooperation 'on bilateral basis between littoral states as well as with other countries which have interests in seeing that the entire Straits of Malacca is a safe sea lane'.
And he said Malaysia recognised the need to increase the capacity of littoral states 'to deal with all kinds of eventualities, especially the kind mentioned by Dr Tony Tan'.
At the conference, Professor Koh pointed out that virtually all countries represented there were parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Some experts think Article 43 of the Convention - dealing with navigational safety and pollution in the waterway - could be a legal basis for improving security in the straits.
Initially, approved naval or coast guard vessels of other states were to be allowed to exercise joint responsibility for protecting international shipping through the straits.
But Washington did not ratify the Convention although the present administration supports ratification.
Said Prof Koh: 'Were the US to become party to that Convention, then we will have a common legal framework for cooperation between littoral states and user states.'
