Military aided Saudi's war efforts in Yemen, cabinet not informed

PARLIAMENT | Cabinet was not informed of the military's decision to engage in a logistical operation which supported the Saudi-led coalition's war effort in Yemen. 

Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia had initially assigned 42 military personnel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 2015 to evacuate Malaysians from Yemen. This was known as Ops Yaman 1. 

However, by June 2015, the mission was changed to a logistics mission known as Ops Yaman 2. The number of troops involved this time was 94. 

"They assisted the Saudi-led coalition in equipment, bullets and explosives," said Liew.

Liew said he was made to understand that the Ops Yaman 2 was performed without approval from the cabinet.

Former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau), in his supplementary question, had concurred that Ops Yaman 2 was not raised in the cabinet.

"I had followed discussions (on this) in detail because (it involved) the deployment of our military assets," said Khairy, who is a Territorial Army Regiment officer. 

Liew's revelation was part of a response to a question from Chang Lih Kang (Harapan-Tanjung Malim), who requested for details on the duties of Malaysian military personnel in Riyadh.

According to Liew (photo), Ops Yaman 2 involved military operations limited to Saudi airspace. 

"In 2016, due to escalating cost, pressure on our troops and flight crew, the Royal Malaysian Air Force had proposed that we withdraw our troops. 

"However, the former military chief and former defence minister did not agree with the (proposal to) withdraw," said Liew. 

He added that the cabinet decided to recall the troop as the deployment was against the country's non-interference foreign policy. 

This is the first time that Putrajaya has admitted that Malaysian troops were indirectly involved in the Saudi-led coalition's war against rebels in Yemen.

Millions have been displaced by fighting and hundreds of thousands have been reportedly killed. Malaysian troops were only removed in September after a new government was installed in Putrajaya.