VZCZCXRO1535
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0675/01 2251120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 131120Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3100
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING IMMEDIATE 2625
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 2814
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 0653
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 0916
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE 1768
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 2665

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000675 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BU MA PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: STRONG MALAYSIAN REACTION TO AUNG SAN SUU KYI 
VERDICT 
 
REF: STATE 83598 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  In response to reftel points, Malaysia's 
Foreign Ministry told the DCM on August 13 that officials 
were following up with ASEAN member countries on the 
possibility of a special meeting to discuss the Aung San Suu 
Kyi (ASSK) verdict, in line with Foreign Minister Anifah 
Aman's strong August 11 statement regretting the verdict and 
calling for "immediate consultation among ASEAN member 
countries."  There were as yet no plans for such a meeting, 
but one possibility was on the margins of UNGA in September, 
MFA Under Secretary Mohammed Satik Kethertany unofficially 
suggested.  He also drew attention to strong public responses 
to the verdict from the governments of Indonesia, Thailand 
and the Philippines.   A scathing editorial in the 
government-owned New Straits Times called the verdict 
"vindictive."  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.(SBU) Comment:  Foreign Minister Anifah's strong statement 
and his call for a special ASEAN meeting, though apparently 
not coordinated with other ASEAN governments, is consistent 
with the GOM's more critical public  line on Burma  since the 
advent of the Najib administration.  Whether this rhetoric 
will translate into actual deeds and actions remains to be 
seen.  End Comment. 
 
Strong Reaction to ASSK Verdict 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Foreign Minister Anifah Aman released a strong 
statement on August 11 stating that Malaysia was "deeply 
disappointed over the decision to place Aung San Suu Kyi 
(ASSK) under house arrest for eighteen months." Describing 
the verdict as "regrettable", the minister added Malaysia 
would "undertake immediate consultation among ASEAN member 
countries to discuss further on this development."  He 
reiterated Malaysia's earlier call on the GOB "to release all 
political detainees including ASSK to enable them to take 
part in the election process which is scheduled to take place 
in 2010." The Minister echoed ASEAN's call for Burma, to 
"show its strong commitment towards national reconciliation 
and democratization process to implement its Road Map for 
Democracy." 
 
¶4. (SBU) On August 13, MFA Under Secretary for Southeast Asia 
Mohammed Satik Kethertany said his government agreed with 
reftel points, praised POTUS's statement on the ASSK verdict 
and told the DCM that the MFA had contacted other ASEAN 
foreign ministries about FM Anifah's call to hold a special 
meeting to discuss the ASSK verdict.  While there was no 
clear response so far, Satik said unofficially that such a 
meeting could be held on the margins of UNGA.  He noted 
strong public reactions to the verdict from the governments 
of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, adding that 
Cambodia's and Vietnam's more cautious approach was as 
expected.  FM Anifah had asked the ASEAN National Secretariat 
within MFA, headed by Ambassador Zainuddin, to do the 
follow-up within ASEAN. 
 
Other reactions 
--------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Chairperson of the Malaysian Chapter of the 
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) and 
Democratic Action Party (DAP) Member of Parliament Lim Kit 
Siang urged ASEAN member countries not to just express 
disappointment but to take concrete measures including either 
expelling or immediately suspending Burma from ASEAN.  In an 
August 11 statement, he described the verdict as showing 
"utter contempt (by) the military junta" for "ASEAN's 
constructive engagement policy."  United Malays National 
Organization (UMNO) Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin supported 
Kit Siang's view that ASEAN should immediately suspend Burma. 
 He described the verdict in as "the culmination of a sham 
trial designed to prevent Suu Kyi from participating in 
planned elections next year" and "a disgusting stain on 
ASEAN's reputation."  He added that the immediate suspension 
of Burma's membership from the regional bloc "is the only 
option open for ASEAN to save it from being found guilty by 
association with the junta." 
 
¶6. (SBU) Most local media reporting on the verdict 
concentrated on FM Anifah's official statement.  However, 
government-owned New Straits Times published a scathing 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000675  002 OF 002 
 
 
editorial entitled "vindictive verdict" on August 13, 
describing the Burmese junta as malicious in "removing the 
democracy icon, whose party won a landslide in the 1990 
elections, from the political scene when elections are due to 
be held next year."  The editorial added that despite the 
"the disdain for international opinion so clearly expressed 
in the junta's judgment," the world "must continue to speak 
up and apply pressure on the generals, to express solidarity 
and moral support to those seeking legitimate democratic 
change." 
KEITH