Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUALALUMPUR1227
2006-07-03 07:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: MALAYSIA CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF
how-toVZCZCXRO7444 PP RUEHAG DE RUEHKL #1227 1840730 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 030730Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7027 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES PRIORITY RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 2451 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0146 RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 0037 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2120 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 0187 RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 1508 RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR PRIORITY RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0264 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0646 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0167 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0369 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0155 RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH PRIORITY 0293 RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 3893 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2205 RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA PRIORITY 0023 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 0107 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 0102 RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0214
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001227
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER MARR PINS CE MY
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: MALAYSIA CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF
JOINING CONTACT GROUPS
REF: A. STATE 107231
B. KUALA LUMPUR 1092
C. STATE 94541
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i, David Shear
for reasons 1.4 b and d.
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001227
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER MARR PINS CE MY
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: MALAYSIA CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF
JOINING CONTACT GROUPS
REF: A. STATE 107231
B. KUALA LUMPUR 1092
C. STATE 94541
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i, David Shear
for reasons 1.4 b and d.
1. (C) MFA Principal Assistant Secretary for South Asian
Affairs Nik Mustafa Kamal Nik Ahmad told us July 3 that
Malaysia was still considering whether to join contact groups
on Tiger financing and weapons procurement. Nik Mustafa
frankly admitted that the decision would be politically
difficult, given the large ethnic Tamil community in
Malaysia. He said that other agencies and ministries were
currently providing feedback to the MFA on the proposal to
join the contact groups, and that further study would be
needed. He noted that the Malaysian Ministry of Defense was
in favor of joining the contact group on arms procurement.
With regard to other contact group membership, Nik Mustafa
recommended the inclusion of Thailand in both groups, but
admitted that Malaysia had better reason than Thailand to
join the group on financing.
2. (C) Nik Mustafa said that if Malaysia did join the contact
groups, it would be unlikely to take a "very active role."
He revealed that during Malaysia-Sri Lanka Joint Commission
meetings held in Colombo June 19-26, the Sri Lankan
government had passed intelligence information regarding
Tiger "fund gathering" in Malaysia. Nik Mustafa said that
the GOM was "taking action on the quiet side" to shut off
this activity. He characterized Malaysian cooperation with
Sri Lanka in this regard to be analogous to
Malaysian-Indonesian cooperation in combating JI terrorists.
Nik Mustafa was troubled by escalating violence in Sri Lanka,
and said he understood that the government of Sri Lanka "must
respond" to increasingly frequent and violent Tiger attacks.
3. (U) Note: Ethnic Tamils of Indian descent account for
about 1.35m of the 1.8m ethnic Indian population of Malaysia
(7.5% of the total Malaysian population of about 24m). There
are also some 80,000 ethnic Tamils of Sri Lankan descent, who
tend to be more prosperous than those of Indian descent.
LAFLEUR
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER MARR PINS CE MY
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: MALAYSIA CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF
JOINING CONTACT GROUPS
REF: A. STATE 107231
B. KUALA LUMPUR 1092
C. STATE 94541
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i, David Shear
for reasons 1.4 b and d.
1. (C) MFA Principal Assistant Secretary for South Asian
Affairs Nik Mustafa Kamal Nik Ahmad told us July 3 that
Malaysia was still considering whether to join contact groups
on Tiger financing and weapons procurement. Nik Mustafa
frankly admitted that the decision would be politically
difficult, given the large ethnic Tamil community in
Malaysia. He said that other agencies and ministries were
currently providing feedback to the MFA on the proposal to
join the contact groups, and that further study would be
needed. He noted that the Malaysian Ministry of Defense was
in favor of joining the contact group on arms procurement.
With regard to other contact group membership, Nik Mustafa
recommended the inclusion of Thailand in both groups, but
admitted that Malaysia had better reason than Thailand to
join the group on financing.
2. (C) Nik Mustafa said that if Malaysia did join the contact
groups, it would be unlikely to take a "very active role."
He revealed that during Malaysia-Sri Lanka Joint Commission
meetings held in Colombo June 19-26, the Sri Lankan
government had passed intelligence information regarding
Tiger "fund gathering" in Malaysia. Nik Mustafa said that
the GOM was "taking action on the quiet side" to shut off
this activity. He characterized Malaysian cooperation with
Sri Lanka in this regard to be analogous to
Malaysian-Indonesian cooperation in combating JI terrorists.
Nik Mustafa was troubled by escalating violence in Sri Lanka,
and said he understood that the government of Sri Lanka "must
respond" to increasingly frequent and violent Tiger attacks.
3. (U) Note: Ethnic Tamils of Indian descent account for
about 1.35m of the 1.8m ethnic Indian population of Malaysia
(7.5% of the total Malaysian population of about 24m). There
are also some 80,000 ethnic Tamils of Sri Lankan descent, who
tend to be more prosperous than those of Indian descent.
LAFLEUR