Foreign Minister Anifah Aman has expressed concern over reports of the involvement and participation of foreign diplomats in street demonstrations, such as the opposition-backed Bersih 3.0 rally which turned violent in the federal capital on April 28.

Whether such involvement was truly for information gathering or otherwise, he said, "it is definitely not a good move".

NONE "Worse still, the diplomats might get involved or injured in unfortunate incidents, given the unruly nature of street demonstrations.

"If that happens, things will be quite complicated, not least in terms of apportioning blame and responsibility," Anifah said in his speech at a luncheon for Asean heads of foreign missions in Kuala Lumpur today.

The minister said diplomats should always be mindful of the sensitivities involved in how countries in this part of the world maintained good relations with one another.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and two others were charged on May 22 with taking part in the Bersih 3.0 street protest.

On Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean in three years' time, Anifah said the grouping of 10 Southeast Asian nations had invested so much in the creation of the Asean Community by 2015 that they simply had no choice but to realise it.

"Failure is not an option," he said, adding that Asean's dialogue partners and countries beyond were also banking on the establishment of the Community.

Closer to home, Anifah said, the transformation agenda spearheaded by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had already shown far-reaching positive impacts on Malaysia.

"Malaysia continues to move on the right track and we're always ready to continue playing our part in contributing to a stronger and more united Asean," he added.

- Bernama