Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KUALALUMPUR458
2007-03-09 09:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Cable title:  

TRILATERAL COUNTERTERRORISM MEETING WITH AUSTRALIA

Tags:  PTER PGOV PREL MY 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0755
RR RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHKL #0458/01 0680939
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 090939Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8729
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2282
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2342
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000458 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL MY
SUBJECT: TRILATERAL COUNTERTERRORISM MEETING WITH AUSTRALIA
AND JAPAN

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Clark for reasons
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000458

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL MY
SUBJECT: TRILATERAL COUNTERTERRORISM MEETING WITH AUSTRALIA
AND JAPAN

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Clark for reasons 1.
4 (b and d).


1. (SBU) The Australian High Commission hosted a trilateral
meeting with U.S. and Japanese embassies on January 17 to
discuss CT cooperation and assistance issues in Malaysia.
Each mission was represented at the DCM level and included
representatives from political, economic, defense, and
security offices. The U.S. and Australian delegations
included public diplomacy officers as well. The meeting
complemented the Embassy's ongoing coordination among
significant CT donors, particularly Australia, the UK and
Canada. The U.S. Embassy will host the next trilateral
coordination meeting in late March.

--------------
Australia
--------------


2. (C) The Australian team, led by Deputy High Commissioner
Peter Doyle, described their extensive efforts to engage
Malaysia, particularly in relation to the Proliferation
Security Initiative (PSI) and export controls. They
discussed Malaysia's effective representation as observers in
the last major PSI exercise, Pacific Protector 06, and the
perception that, while Malaysia was not ready to sign on as a
PSI partner, they were somewhat more comfortable with the
principles behind PSI. The Australians indicated their
intention to persuade Malaysia to remain engaged in PSI, even
if their participation remained as observers. They also
announced a bilateral export control dialogue with Malaysia
that subsequently took place on March 1. In a follow up
meeting, Australian poloff revealed that the meeting between
Malaysian and Australian experts showed that GOM was making
progress in their conceptual development of an export control
regime, as the GOM came prepared with highly relevant
technical questions for the
ir Australian interlocutors.


3. (C) Australia also discussed the training they have
planned and have recently provided to Malaysian authorities,
including AUSTRAC CT-finance training through APEC and
document fraud and examination training that was facilitated
by the addition of a new immigration position at their

embassy. The Australians reviewed their customs officials'
efforts to engage and provide training and equipment to
Malaysian police, customs and immigration in Eastern Sabah.
Australian customs' subsequent meetings have revealed
Malaysian officials concerns with the program as currently
developed, which led to the GOM turning down a significant
assistance package. Australian officials intend to revise
their proposal and move forward despite the setback.

--------------
Japan
--------------


4. (C) Japan's delegation, led by DCM Kayuzuki Katayama,
noted Japanese efforts to assist Malaysia in the areas of
maritime and port security. Japan has provided the nascent
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) with training
and equipment, including at least one vessel, and is
utilizing the presence of their Coast Guard Attach and a
Coast Guard officer seconded to the MMEA to assist in
developing that agency. Japanese defense forces have also
provided seminars to Malaysian military officials on security
issues and plan to continue those efforts with a focus on
maritime security. Japan continues to provide customs and
immigration training and equipment through a longstanding
regional initiative and has a customs officer posted at their
embassy in Kuala Lumpur.


5. (C) Since the January meeting, Japanese embassy officials
have made clear that there is not an officer at their embassy
charged with focusing on or coordinating CT issues. Outside
of maritime and commercial-related initiatives, Japan's
activities are limited. They do continue to offer courses
through the Southeast Regional Center for Counterterrorism
(SEARCCT) that focus on chemical, biological, radiological
and nuclear (CBRN) response training and have sponsored
Malaysian officers to travel for similar training in Japan.
On the public diplomacy front, Katayama indicated that
Japan's lack of historical confrontation with the nations of
the Muslim world provided them with an opportunity to play an
effective role in counter radicalization initiatives, though
he did not specify such Japanese efforts in Malaysia.

--------------

KUALA LUMP 00000458 002 OF 002


U.S.
--------------


6. (C) The U.S. Mission reported on the broad range of its
engagement in CT assistance and related efforts. The U.S.
remains the largest international donor of training,
utilizing SEARCCT and other regional forums as well
U.S.-based training programs. The U.S. is also the largest
military partner with Malaysia and has significantly
increased ship visits to Malaysia. The U.S. military
continues to engage Malaysia's armed forces and law
enforcement through training and exercises. We reported that
Malaysian sensitivities regarding training in Sabah had
slowed some areas of cooperation, but had not resulted in a
significant setback in overall cooperation. We outlined our
activities in Eastern Sabah through the Border Control
Assessment Initiative and the planned provision of radars to
the Malaysian Armed Forces through proposed 1206 funding. We
explained the success of the Container Security Initiative in
Malaysia and the move toward the Megaports Initiative. We
indicated our desire to pursue regional coun
ter radicalization objectives to enhance the programs in
place now and offered to share the results of recent opinion
polling with our Japanese and Australian counterparts.

--------------
Areas of Greatest Common Interest
--------------


7. (C) All sides agreed that the raft of CT-related
legislation Malaysia has in process will require in some
cases significant institutional development in order for
Malaysian authorities to apply these laws. Each side
indicated their desire to engage the Royal Malaysian Police
(RMP),Attorney General's office, MMEA, Customs and
Immigration authorities to ensure effective legislation is
both drafted and implemented. As one example, the final
passage of CT laws expected this year opens up the
possibility that Malaysia could begin to prosecute terrorists
heretofore held without trial under Internal Security Act
(ISA) detention. However, Malaysian police and prosecutors
did not appear prepared professionally to utilize these laws.
The discussion noted that Commonwealth countries were best
placed to provide assistance to Malaysian investigators and
prosecutors for developing CT cases, due to the similarities
in their respective legal systems.


8. (C) Export control legislation that is currently in the
interagency review process was seen as an area of potential
for the embassies to provide coordinated assistance.
Australia and the U.S. expressed particular interest in
following the development and implementation of new CT, money
laundering and CT-financing legislation. PSI was an area
where Australia has been taking the lead but that Japan felt
it could increase involvement. All sides noted concern with
the MMEA's slow pace of development and the U.S. indicated
its desire for more engagement, perhaps through the U.S.
Coast Guard. The meeting alerted U.S. and Australian
officials to a possible conflict in fraudulent document
training that has since been resolved and opened the door to
collaboration in the near future.



9. (U) Embassy participants have continued to follow up with
their working level Australian and Japanese counterparts in
preparation for a follow up meeting hosted by the U.S.
Embassy in late March.
SHEAR