eTurboNews

THE meeting between the premiers of Malaysia and Thailand took place last Monday in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

At a joint press conference, the two leaders acknowledged the loss of almost 60 lives to date, as a result of the unrest in Thailand provinces along the border with Malaysian states, terrorism, criminal activities and the recent spate of bombings.

Malaysia's premier, Abdullah Badawi, urged the two countries to"stand together in combating groups that are causing the problem in the area."

"We will exchange information and intelligence deem useful to ensure effective cooperation in our fight to solve the problem," Badawi said.

Badawi also addressed the issue of dual-citizenship of Malaysians living along border states. The premier said: "Those who hold dual-citizenship are not going to reveal themselves. It is not a crime to live in Thailand, unless we know they are also holding Thai citizenship."

Malaysia's leader also asked Thailand to look into the root cause of the problem by drawing from its success in dealing with terrorist threats. Malaysia also seeks Thailand's help in educating the public on the dangers of armed rebellion to religious and racial harmony.

The Thai leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, agreed with Badawi, and said the two countries would continue to work on a joint strategy to bring development to their border area.

Defense Minister Najib Razak, speaking on Malaysia's solution, said: "When apprehended, we favor rehabilitation, counseling and eventual reintegration into mainstream society. We need to understand the economic, political, social, cultural and religious motivation of individuals and groups and the reasons why they have been misguided into desperate attempts to commit violence against society."

According to the minister, countries and governments to-day are now more uncertain than ever before in the face of the many threats to world peace. "Southeast Asia is grappling with terrorism in the guise of freedom fighters, while others are simply bent on creating death and destruction," the minister said.

"Regions rich with resources, natural beauty and people become a ' no-go zone ' whenever our collective security is threatened," Razak concluded.

 

top