AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER:

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000909

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019
TAGS: CT MY PGOV KTIP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER:
TIP AND CT COOPERATION

Classified By: Ambassador James R. Keith for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
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1. (C) Home Affairs Minister Hishamuddin Hussein told the
Ambassador during a wide-ranging 90-minute meeting on October
21 that the GOM would publish its Trafficking in Persons
(TIP) action plan soon and that it was a priority for him and
Prime Minister Najib to make significant progress on the
issue. (Note: PM Najib is his cousin. End Note.) He asked
for USG and Embassy assistance establishing working groups on
the main TIP issues and providing needed training for "rising
leaders" in his ministry, which includes immigration, police
and the Attorney General. Hishamuddin identified interagency
coordination as a key difficulty for the GOM and expressed
appreciation for the Ambassador,s explanation of how the NSC
functions in the U.S. He stressed the importance of
continued counter-terrorism cooperation with the USG and said
his ministry was committed to reducing crime in Malaysia by
20 percent during 2010. He expressed interest in visiting
Washington, showing interest in the Ambassador,s suggestion
of consultations with DHS, along with DOJ, law enforcement,
and State.


2. (C) Comment: Hishamuddin exuded enthusiasm, telling the
Ambassador that he wanted an "open relationship" with the
U.S. Embassy including frequent meetings between relevant
officials on CT, TIP and interagency coordination issues.
Following up immediately, his staff contacted the Embassy on
October 22 to request an October 23 meeting with a range of
Embassy officers. Hishamuddin is a Najib confidante who is
on the hot seat; he must deliver positive results across a
very broad range of sensitive issues if he is to continue to
rise in the ruling party. With regard to trafficking, he
perceives Malaysia,s partnership with Australia on human
smuggling as a model of cooperative and mutually beneficial
relations. He is also the key policy official below the
Prime Minister tasked with managing counter-terrorism and the
potential for religious extremists to develop a base in
Malaysia. He wants to learn from the U.S. and seeks as much
help as he can get to enable Malaysia to manage security and
criminal challenges. End Summary and Comment.

TIP
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3. (C) Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin, in office
since April 2009 after a stint as Education Minister, told
the Ambassador during an October 21 meeting that the TIP
issue was being tackled anew by Malaysians and he requested
advice and assistance on how to best address the problem.
When the Ambassador suggested that the first step would be to
publish a comprehensive National TIP action plan in
conjunction with a public awareness campaign, Hissammuddin
said "Done!", assuring the Ambassador that the GOM would
publish its action plan soon and that it was a priority for
him and Prime Minister Najib to make significant progress on
the issue. The Ambassador went on to explain that a key step
in addressing labor trafficking is for the GOM to see the
victims of TIP as victims and not as illegal immigrants.

4. (C) Hishammuddin inquired as to what would be the best
way for Malaysia to move forward in its anti-TIP efforts -)
whether by increasing security on passports, improving
victim's shelters, or addressing immigration and refugee
issues. Using South Korea as an example, the Ambassador
explained how a country that previously had a significant
trafficking problem properly addressed it by executing a
public awareness campaign, implementing a process to identify
trafficking victims to separate them from traffickers, and
successfully prosecuting traffickers. Today, South Korea is
listed as a tier one country and the Ambassador suggested
that Malaysia could follow a similar path.

5. (C) The Ambassador emphasized the need for Malaysia to
start concentrating its efforts toward the significant labor
trafficking problem within its borders. He explained that
this is a global problem that should be addressed regionally
and suggested ASEAN might be the best forum for coordinating
its efforts. Hishammuddin acknowledged that TIP was
modern-day slavery and that Malaysia needs to act. He
referred to the 50,000 unemployed Bangladeshis currently
living in Malaysia as "a time bomb."

6. (C) Hishammuddin requested USG and Embassy assistance
establishing working groups on the main TIP issues and
providing needed training for "rising leaders" in his
ministry, which includes immigration, police and the Attorney
General,s chambers. He identified Secretary General Datuk
Mahmood Adam, also present at the meeting, who chairs the GOM
TIP Council, as the point person for such coordination.

7. (C) On the issue of refugees, Ambassador Keith offered

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that the GOM signing the Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees would be an excellent goal, toward which short- and
medium-term efforts could be directed. Hishammuddin noted
that this was a very sensitive issue but that he would study
it and consider the Ambassador's concerns.
CT
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8. (S) Hishamuddin noted that Malaysia was as yet "unscathed"
by terrorist attacks, but expressed concern about the
possibility of renewed activity on the part of Jemaah
Islamiyah, possibly with Al Qaeda involvement, stressing the
need for the GOM's continued cooperation with the USG. The
Ambassador agreed that CT cooperation was a pillar of the
bilateral relationship and noted that the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security was analogous to Hishamuddin's Home Affairs
Ministry in having multi-faceted responsibility for
protection against terrorist attacks, having been established
for that purpose after 9/11. Hishamuddin expressed interest
in traveling to Washington, D.C. in the near future for
meetings with DHS, law enforcement, and State officials to
discuss CT, TIP and interagency coordination, the last of
which he described as "unfamiliar terrain" for the GOM.


9. (C) Hishamuddin said that he was seeking ideas and advice
on how to continue protecting Malaysia against terrorism. He
noted that there was public pressure to amend Malaysia's
Internal Security Act (ISA, which allows detention without
charges being filed),but that amending it under the current
circumstances of increased concern about the possibility of
terrorist attacks would "not be easy." Hishamuddin posited
that Indonesia had a tendency to push potential terrorists to
Malaysia where they could be apprehended under the ISA.
Hishamuddin welcomed the Ambassador's offer to put Home
Affairs staff in touch with the Embassy's Regional Security
Initiative officer for further discussion of regional CT
cooperation.


10. (C) Hishamuddin said that he was concerned that young
Malaysians could become disenchanted with western culture, as
well as become economically marginalized, turning to radical
organizations such as Al Qaeda. On the other hand, Malaysia
and Indonesia were home to the largest number of moderate
Muslims in the world, and should be able to project a
moderate image of Islam. Islamic scholars in Malaysia and
Indonesia who could be spokespersons for a productive, modern
perspective were all too silent; they had an obligation to
lead and to be heard, Hishamuddin averred.

CRIME
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11. (C) In response to the Ambassador's comment that American
citizens including Embassy personnel had been targets of
crimes recently, Hishamuddin said his Ministry was committed
to reducing crime by 20 percent during 2010, noting that the
public was upset about rising crime rates. His Ministry had
considered the UK's method of installing many more CCTV units
for surveillance of public areas and increasing use of mobile
police units, especially in 50 "hotspots" around the country.
He was also looking into making mobile phones permanently
deactivated if reported stolen to remove what is seen as the
main incentive for purse snatching. He acknowledged the
Ambassador's point that foreign investors were also concerned
about street crime as well as residential and warehouse
burglaries, and requested further information about American
companies' concerns, which the Ambassador agreed to provide.
KEITH