German ambassador to Malaysia Juergen A R Staks today said his government has frequently highlighted the need to abolish the Internal Security Act to the authorities here but stressed that this was not tantamount to interfering in the countrys internal affairs.

We would be pleased to see the ISA disappearing from Malaysia... [However] Malaysia does not accept this for now and so we have to tolerate this, said Staks in an exclusive interview with malaysiakini .

He said the ISA is virtually impossible in Germany as anyone arrested by police must be produced before court within 24 hours.

Malaysian governments justification that the controversial act was inherited from British colonial age is an unacceptable argument, he added.

The ambassador was responding to a question as to whether Germany is less committed to human rights in Asia compared to its European counterparts and the United States.

The ISA, which permits indefinite detention without trial, was used by the British to fight the insurgency of communists in 1960s.

Citing the example of jailed deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, Staks said such violations of human rights had been discussed openly among the European countries, including Germany.

After observation, the European Unions (EU) position is that the trial of Anwar may not have been conducted fairly in accordance with Malaysian laws.

We encourage Malaysian officials to look into the matter again to make it a just affair, he said.

Staks, who has been German ambassador in Malaysia since early last year, said he was aware that such remark about Anwar could irritate the government.

But this is the only case (about Malaysia) in Germany that is known even to the churches, and not just the non-governmental organisations, he said.

Upcoming visit

He warned that these NGOs may raise their concern over Anwar, currently serving a 15-year jail term for sodomy and corruption charges, at the upcoming official visit of Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to Germany.

Mahathir is scheduled to call on German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on March 20 at the latters invitation. The visit to Berlin and Munich was initially planned for last September but it was called off following the Sept 11 attacks on the US.

Staks, however, described the bilateral ties between the two countries as really excellent.

We are friends and not just partners in various fields, he said.

He added Malaysia and Germany are enjoying a very substantive and open-minded co-operation in the larger framework of Asean-EU relations.

Germany is one of the three main European investors in Malaysia besides Britain and Netherlands. Its foreign direct investment totalled RM4.94 billion (1.5 billion euro) in 1999, of which most is in petrochemical industry and communication technology manufacturing.

As of last October, Malaysian exports to Germany were worth RM9.5 billion while German exports to Malaysia totalled RM7.1 billion.

The ambassador said it is expected that Schroeder and Mahathir will talk about the Sept 11 attacks, the US-led retaliation on Afghanistan, and the international effort to fight terrorism at their meeting two weeks from now.

When asked, he said Germany which has sent an estimated 3,900 troops to assist the US in Afghanistan, is concerned about an upsurge of resentment from Muslim countries.

However, he said that it must be made clear that terrorism should not be equated to Islam. This [the Sept 11 attacks] was the crime of individuals who were misguided and Islamic leaders must do something to remove the shadow falling on Islam.

Staks also supported Mahathirs view to organise international conference to define terrorism before fighting the problem.

Though Mahathir had openly opposed the war in Afghanistan, the premier is nonetheless a moderate Islamic leader who can contribute positively to the discussion on terrorism, added the ambassador.

Lack of PR

As for trade relations, he said Malaysia has good infrastructure and skilled labour to attract foreign investors.

He added that corruption and red tape in Malaysia are not that serious as these problems are happening everywhere in the world.

But the problem is that China tries to attract the production line from Malaysia and other countries. Many are withdrawing now, and Malaysia must have measures to stop this from happening, he said.

The ambassador also expressed a wish to further promote cultural and social exchange between Germany and Malaysia through various schemes such as increasing the number of exchange students between the two countries.

He also said Malaysia should publicise its tourism industry more aggressively overseas.

There are so many beautiful beaches and hotels here but many of them are empty. Malaysia must advertise itself. There is now a lack of public relations, he said.