Members of various NGOs and students today gathered at the main gate of the Port Klang Cruise Centre (PKCC) to protest the docking of the nuclear-powered United States aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

NONE Protest organiser Khalid Mohd Ismath ( left ) told Malaysiakini that the group tried to deliver a protest memorandum to PKCC, but the port representative had allegedly refused to accept it.

“(In the memorandum), we urged PKCC not to (further) allow American ships to dock. We do not want to glorify the evil power involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We also urge PKCC and government representatives not to make decisions friendly towards the US’ cause,” he said when contacted today.

The NGOs involved in the 2pm protest were Jingga 13, Independent Student Activists Group (Kami), Gabungan Mahasiswa Pantai Timur (Gempur) and Persatuan Anak Muda Klang (PAMK), as well as Party Socialist Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutcelvan.

It was reported that the 5000-man aircraft carrier, commissioned on July 4, 1992, arrived at Port Klang last Sunday for a five-day visit to promote bilateral Malaysia-America ties and cooperation.

NONE It was scheduled to have left yesterday.

This prompted protest by various quarters, including Pakatan Rakyat MPs who called on the government to cease allowing or inviting warships to visit local ports and to reject the US gunboat diplomacy .

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, however, stressed that Malaysia will not become a base for foreign troops and assured that the rakyat has nothing to fear.

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