EXBS: SE ASIA REGIONAL ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000313 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC YWONG, ACHURCH, ROWEN DEPT FOR ISN/ECC/AMT LSPRINGER DEPT FOR EAP/RSP NDEAN, TFORSYTH, AFORSBERG CBP/INA FOR RWATT USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY, JMILLER DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD JAKARTA FOR YGONZALES, DTURNBULL MANILA FOR GCOFFIN SINGAPORE FOR ECROSSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP MY SUBJECT: EXBS: SE ASIA REGIONAL ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE FEBRUARY 2008 ¶I. SUMMARY The Advisor participated in meetings with officials from the Australian High Commission and Japanese Embassy relating to export control issues and counter-terrorism topics and with officials from SEARCCT to discuss a proposed tri-lateral training event. The Advisor met with the Director General of the Atomic Energy Licensing Agency to discuss an upcoming DOE visit. A WMD CIT workshop was conducted in Manila and the Government of Malaysia signed an MOU on Megaports. END SUMMARY II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. On February 04 the Advisor, along with POLOFF, met Mark Napier of the Australian High Commission, Noboru Sekiguchi of the Japanese Embassy, and Yean Yoke Heng, Deputy Director General of the Southeast Asian Center for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT),to discuss a proposed tri-lateral bio-terrorism training course. The Government of Australia has assumed the lead role in engaging with the Government of Malaysia (GOM) and SEARCCT to co-host this first-ever tri-lateral CT undertaking in Malaysia between Australia, Japan, and the US. Our three embassies are in the process of coordinating the details of the training with SEARCCT; the last week of May is the proposed timeframe. ¶2. The Advisor met February 05 with Taichi Noda, of the Japanese Embassy, to discuss Japan's upcoming one-day outreach program with Malaysian government officials and industry participants. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will host the event and expects between 80 and 100 participants. This is the first time Japan has conducted an industry outreach event in Malaysia and there is considerable interest on the part of the GOM to observe how other countries engage with commercial entities on export control issues. ¶3. On February 15 the Advisor and ECONOFF met with Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, the Director General of the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB),to discuss agenda topics for the March visit of a team from the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Other senior AELB officials present at the meeting were Mohamed Yasin Haji Sudin, Director of Enforcement; Mohd Pauzi Mohd Sobari, Director of Policy, Codes, and Standards; and Azlina Mohammad Jais, Principal Assistant Director of Policy, Codes, and Standards. AELB officials Noor Fitriah Bakri, Zainal Abidin Husain, and Hamrah Mohd Ali also attended the meeting. In addition to proposed agenda topics, areas of future cooperation and collaboration were also discussed. ¶B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD Department of Energy personnel conducted a WMD Commodities Identification Training workshop February 26-27 in Manila; thirty-two individuals from fourteen agencies participated. A one-day chemical industry outreach program was conducted on April 28 that included several of the GRP agencies that participated in the CIT, representatives from numerous Filipino chemical manufacturers and exporters, and officials from the Philippines' chemical manufacturing association. ¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING PERIOD NONE ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE ¶1. WMD Commodities Identification Training is scheduled for April 28-30 in Indonesia. ¶3. A legal workshop is planned for Malaysia May 07-09. ¶4. A legal workshop is planned for May 13 in Indonesia. KUALA LUMP 00000313 002 OF 002 ¶5. A Technical Introduction to Licensing is tentatively planned for July in Malaysia. ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY On February 27 the United States and Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin implementing the Megaports Initiative at Port Klang, Malaysia's largest commercial port. The signing ceremony was held at Port Klang and was attended by US Ambassador James Keith and Dato Seri Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid, the Director General of Royal Malaysian Customs. Both NNSA and GOM officials present at the ceremony expressed their optimism that Megaports could be fully implemented within one year of the signing. III. RED FLAG ISSUES NONE IV. Questions and comments can be directed to EXBS Program Advisor Richard Moody, telephone 6-03-2168-4861, fax 6-03-2168-5165, cell phone 6-017-213-1965, and email moodyrl@state.gov. KEITH