Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KUALALUMPUR786
2008-09-09 09:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Cable title:  

STAFFDEL LUSE ENGAGES PM'S OFFICE, MFA ON

Tags:  PREL PGOV PREF PTER KDEM KTIP MY 
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VZCZCXRO8401
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0786/01 2530914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 090914Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1614
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000786 

CODEL
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

EAP/MTS, PRM, S/CT, H, DS/ATA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF PTER KDEM KTIP MY
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL LUSE ENGAGES PM'S OFFICE, MFA ON
BILATERAL TIES, REFUGEES, AND REGIONAL STABILITY

Summary
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000786

CODEL
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

EAP/MTS, PRM, S/CT, H, DS/ATA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF PTER KDEM KTIP MY
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL LUSE ENGAGES PM'S OFFICE, MFA ON
BILATERAL TIES, REFUGEES, AND REGIONAL STABILITY

Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) Senate Foreign Relations Committee Professional
Staffer Mr. Keith Luse met with GOM officials at the Prime
Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry's Southeast Asia
Office, and at the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counter
Terrorism (SEARCCT) August 27-29. Luse raised concerns
about reports of trafficking of Burmese refugees in Malaysia
to Thailand at both the PM's Office and MFA. The Prime
Minister's communications chief described a long-term
approach to combating corruption against the backdrop of
short-term political uncertainty and an emerging two-party
system. The Foreign Ministry explored Malaysia's role in
assisting Thailand and the Philippines address their
respective insurgencies, noting in particular the GOM's
continued commitment to the troubled Mindanao peace process.
The SEARCCT Director General acknowledged the Center had not
made much progress in developing its regional role over its
five years of existence, but noted the GOM recently had
focused more thought on the organization's future. Septel
focuses on Mr. Luse's meetings on the issue of Burmese
refugees and trafficking. End Summary.

PM's Office
--------------


2. (SBU) Datuk Kamal Khalid, the head of the Prime
Minister's Office's Communications Unit, in a wide-ranging
conversation, told Luse August 27 the relationship between
Malaysia and the U.S. was characterized by pragmatism and
stability, noting particularly fruitful cooperation in the
area of security. He alluded in passing to Malaysia's
seeking some support for IMPACT - the PM's recently launched
International Multilateral Partnership Against
Cyber-Terrorism. Kamal noted that the PM was aware that
Malaysia's embassy in Washington for too long has not been
properly staffed, adding that the PM has asked that the MFA
speed up the process of appointing a new ambassador. Both
men concurred that the relationship between the two countries
would benefit from increasing exchanges. Kamal echoed
frequently heard nostalgia for the Peace Corps.



3. (SBU) Turning to the condition of Burmese refugees in
Indiana and the possibility of Senate hearings on this
subject later in the year, Luse outlined allegations that
corrupt Malaysian immigration officials extorted money from
Burmese in Malaysia before turning them over to traffickers
in Thailand (septel reports further on Luse's meeting on this
issue). Luse noted with appreciation the GOM's efforts to
introduce immigration reforms. While Kamal did not directly
address the Burmese refugee trafficking issue, he said the
PM's reform agenda had more teeth since the decision was made
to give the Anti-Corruption Authority a free hand and for the
first time to assign two career professions, rather than to
political appointees, to lead the organization. In addition
to having recently pursued corruption charges against the
head of the Immigration Department, the Authority has pushed
for reforms among State Counselors as well as with the
Fisheries and Commercial Vehicles Departments. Lastly, Kamal
mentioned
judicial reform measures designed to formalize and make more
transparent the process of appointing judges.


4. (SBU) Reflecting on the wider political situation in
Malaysia, Kamal said the PM's anti-corruption efforts were
part of his long-term approach. "The emergence of a two
party system is good for Malaysia," he said. "Twenty years
ago this would not have passed peacefully. The PM has not
resorted to tactics to prevent change," Kamal said, "despite
short-term uncertainty, the PM is resolute in not resorting
to violence." "Some lack patience in the face of the need
tow work through long-term issues," he added, "at the end of
the day, the people must choose."

MFA Southeast Asia Office
--------------


5. (SBU) Mr. Luse accompanied the DCM on an introductory
courtesy call on MFA Under Secretary for Southeast Asia Dato'
Ramlan Ibrahim on August 29. Ramlan spoke in broad terms
about regional instability. While careful to identify
Southern Thai violence as a domestic Thai problem, he
juxtaposed the work of the Malaysia-Thailand Joint
Commission, which is expanding near-term confidence building
measures, with what he felt has been an overly militaristic
and heavy-handed approach on the part of Thai authorities.

KUALA LUMP 00000786 002 OF 002


While Malaysia and Thailand are working together on a
long-term "Three Es" strategy focused on expanding
employment, entrepreneurship and education, Ramlan said
Thailand was not doing enough to match development efforts.
He cited as an example roads built on the Malaysian side of
the border, which connect to bridges linking the two
countries, but which abruptly end because none of the road
work had been done on the Thai side.


6. (SBU) Ramlan expressed regret at the Philippines'
Supreme Court decision to obstruct the recent peace accord,
but added Malaysia remains committed to being part of the
international monitoring team in Mindanao. He urged the USG
to "nudge" the Philippines toward comprehensive disarmament,
adding that accepting ancestral domain is the key to
advancing the peace process.


7. (SBU) Luse mentioned that he was preparing a report to
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on refugee cases and
that he would be providing detailed information to Malaysian
Immigration Enforcement officials with whom he had met.
Without addressing refugee concerns, Ramlan said there are
millions of illegal immigrants in Malaysia. The GOM, he
said, is stepping up its efforts with the Philippines to
properly identify immigrants. Luse acknowledged that
Malaysia was a transit point for immigration to the U.S.,
that there was a pull factor at work, and added that the U.S.
sought to encourage legal immigration with proper
documentation. Ramlan sought to assure that, in the
meantime, deportations are being conducted humanely. Ramlan
added that Malaysia had nothing to gain from instability in
Indonesia, noting that, from his vantage, a worst case would
be to have a massive influx of immigrants from Indonesia. He
alluded to economic policies - such as encouraging Malaysia
investors to start palm oil plantations in Aceh - designed to
minimize such a risk.

SEARCCT
--------------


8. (SBU) Mr. Luse met with Ambassador Dato' Md. Hussin
Nayan, Director General of the Southeast Asia Center for
Regional Counter Terrorism on August 29. Hussin, who is
widely expected to be transferred to his next posting in the
coming months, gave an overview of SEARCCT's strengths and
weaknesses. At its inception in 2003, Hussin acknowledged,
not much thought was given to the strategic direction of
SEARCCT. The focus, by default, has been to provide
CT-related capacity-building for GOM front-line officers.
This group - comprised mainly of Police Special Branch,
military intelligence, hazardous materials and crisis
response personnel - numbers around 100, according to Hussin.
Five years in, SEARCCT has succeeded, he suggested, in
bringing the GOM's front-line officers up to international
standards.


9. (SBU) When asked by Luse about the level of the Center's
engagement with other countries in the region, Hussin
admitted that SEARCCT has not made much headway in developing
its regional role, citing differences in understanding of the
nature of the CT problem in each country. Luse asked Hussin
if he were familiar with the work and reports of the
International Crisis Group. Hussin said that while he
thought ICG's analyses were sound, its recommendations were,
in his view, overly driven "by international ideology and not
sufficiently concerned with local issues." He acknowledged,
however, that for its own part, SEARCCT had not done much to
raise public awareness or to advance research in the field -
two other elements of its mission statement. On a more
positive note, there appears to be growing awareness within
the GOM of SEARCCT's shortcomings. Hussin mentioned that he
recently attended a four-hour brain-storming session on the
future of the organization. He also pointed to some recent
SEARCCT firsts: a public program featuring former French
Inspector General of Police Jean-Francois Clair; preliminary
research on aviation security; and a pilot project at one
local university to determine youth attitudes about
terrorism.


10. (U) Mr. Luse has approved this message.

KEITH