Parti Keadilan Rakyat welcomes the stand taken by the Malaysian government to oppose possible deployment of US-led foreign troops to fight terrorists in the Southeast Asia and to patrol the Melaka Straits.

We also would like to suggest that there is now a need for Malaysia to review the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) and her involvement in it.

In fact, we would go further by urging the Malaysian government to review the US-Malaysian Defence Agreement, which was signed in 1984 by the then US Defence Secretary, Casper Weinberger, and the former Malaysian Premier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Despite several requests made from both inside and outside Parliament, the government has refused to disclose the content of this agreement. But it is believed to provide, among others, for regular joint training for air and land forces of both countries, and the access of Malaysian ports to the US navy.

The stand taken by the Malaysian government so far is consistent with the concept of Zopfan (Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality) that was initiated by Malaysia and agreed upon by several Southeast Asian states.

Unfortunately, this concept has almost been abandoned now. We fear that the presence of foreign troops and the existing defence arrangement and agreement can easily force us to be involved not only in the US strategy to fight terrorists but also, in the long run, to contain 'threats' from China.

We agree that there is need to fight international terrorism, but it must be carried out without discrimination, irrespective of whether it is perpetrated by civilians or the state. Terrorism must be clearly defined and terrorists must be genuinely identified.

They need to be combated at the root cause or causes. It is a human tragedy now that while Palestinian liberation fighters who commit suicidal bombings - causing deaths to innocent people - are quickly branded as terrorists, there is great reluctance to admit that the Zionist Israeli state is equally guilty of terrorism for using high technology weapons that inflict death onto women, children and the aged, besides destroying homes.

We do not agree at all with any move to use the fight against of international terrorists as an excuse by powerful states to detain suspects without trial, to send troops to fight so-called terrorists and to occupy, weak but wealthy and strategic countries in order to cow them.

Similarly, we deplore any government that uses draconian laws to detain indefinitely without trial those whom they allege to be terrorists, so as to perpetuate their unjust rule.

The writer is the deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia.