The Australian government does not share the view that charges of terrorism in Malaysia were 'invented' to clampdown on political dissent, said Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Peter Varghese.
The envoy, who said his government supported any action to uncover terror organisations, was responding to a Los Angeles Times report that quoted senior Australian military personnel as saying Malaysia and Indonesia used terror as an excuse to stifle dissent.
"What we have seen from organisations like Jemaah Islamiah suggests that it was not something being manufactured. The Australian and Singaporean High Commissions were allegedly the target of the Jemaah Islamiah," he said.
Varghese told malaysiakini this during an exclusive interview at his office in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
On the possibility of the threat of terrorism being exaggerated for political purposes, Varghese said the perception of what constitutes a threat is likely to be different before and after the Sept 11 attacks in the United States.
"In the light of the attacks, a lot of countries are giving more attention to what otherwise may have been networks that people weren't aware of.
"A lot of actions taken by Malaysia and Singapore were based on well-grounded suspicions about potential terrorist activities," he added.
Scores detained
Since last year, police have detained scores of alleged members of the Malaysian Mujahidin Group (KMM) which aimed to topple the government through violence under the Internal Security Act.
A majority of those detained were PAS members, including the son of the party's spiritual advisor Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Jemaah Islamiah, which KMM was allegedly affiliated to, was a regional terror organisation which aimed to forcefully oust governments in the region and establish Islamic states. It was also linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Also incarcerated under the ISA, are five Keadilan leaders and a reformasi activist on a similar charge of seeking to overthrow the government via militant means.
However, Varghese dismissed the suggestion that Islamic radicalism may pose a threat to regional security.
"The centre of gravity of Islam in Southeast Asia is very moderate... That's a form of assurance for countries in the region," he said.
Varghese also said the long-standing defence relationship between Australia and Southeast Asia is likely to grow stronger even with increased involvement of US forces in the region.
"It is not a zero-sum game. It is not as though we will lose anything with others being active partners in the region."
He said the existing Five-Power Defence Arrangements between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, was also expected to include participation of the army, navy and air force.
East Timor issue
Responding to a question on whether East Timor's bid to join Asean could be to balance its dependence on Australia, Varghese said the new nation is encouraged to develop international ties.
"We would welcome East Timor to join any grouping and we have no reservations about it at all.
The fact is that East Timor has depended on the international system for quite some time now. Australia would like to see that burden shed in an equitable way," said the envoy.
Varghese explained that despite Indonesia's displeasure, Australian forces joined the UN peacekeeping force in East Timor because it felt that was the "proper thing to be done".
"We went there with the full authority of the United Nations and the consent of the Indonesian government. We made it clear that we would only be involved if Indonesia consented to it. That is sometimes overlooked in the coverage of the issue," he said.
On the issue of Middle Eastern migrants heading for Australia via Malaysia, the diplomat said the two governments have worked closely on the matter although such arrivals have stopped in recent months.
"We have cooperation from the police force and immigration department here to stop these people-smuggling syndicates operating from Malaysia or using Malaysia as a transit country," said Varghese.
Part 2 of the Q&A; is available in the Opinions/Features section today, only to subscribers.
