Thais Reject Proposal, While Indonesia and Malaysia Seem Negative : Asians Rebuff U.S. on Basing Supply Ships For Crises
International Herald Tribune
November 8, 1994
Michael Richardson 

In a setback for American moves to strengthen its security ties in Asia, several key countries in the region have rejected a plan for U.S. military supply ships to be based in Southeast Asia for possible use in emergencies.

Thailand, a U.S. ally, has formally rejected the proposal, while Indonesia and Malaysia have indicated that they will do likewise should Washington ask them to allow pre-positioning of the supply ships.

The Clinton administration is seeking the new arrangement so that American troops flown to a crisis in either the Middle East or Northeast Asia could quickly be reinforced with heavy equipment, such as tanks, as well as ammunition, fuel and medical supplies.

Such matériel could also be used for peacetime disaster relief, according to U.S. officials.

But analysts said Monday that Indonesia and Malaysia - which have Muslim majorities and belong to the Nonaligned Movement - were concerned about a possible religious and political backlash should U.S. supply ships moored in their waters be used in a Middle East conflict.

Analysts said that Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur also were worried that the pre- positioning plan might raise suspicions in China, upsetting efforts to draw Beijing into a new regional security forum.

The ministerial-level forum met formally for the first time in Bangkok in July.

Officials said that Thailand had made it clear in high-level negotiations with the United States that it was worried the basing of U.S. supply ships off its coast could complicate relations with such nearby nations as Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma.

At one point last month, officials said that the negotiations involved the Thai prime minister, Chuan Leekpai, and President Bill Clinton.

At a recent meeting in Bangkok between Mr. Chuan and Admiral Richard C. Macke, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, the American side was told that "establishing any arms depot in the Gulf of Thailand could lead to misunderstanding among other countries in the region," according to Pracha Kunakasem, permanent secretary of the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Following the Thai rejection, U.S. officials said that other possible sites in Southeast Asia were being explored.

Diplomats said that Singapore would probably be reluctant to agree to stationing rights for American supply ships when its neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia, had come out publicly against the plan. So, too, would Brunei, they said.

The Philippines, which closed the last U.S. military base on its territory in 1992, also would be wary of such an arrangement because it could be seen as "offshore base," the diplomats said.

Winston Lord, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the proposal rejected by Thailand involved "civilian ships offshore with pre- positioned equipment that would help not only in regional contingencies but also in the Middle East."

He said that the recent crisis with Iraq showed the great value of pre-positioning military equipment.

"We got significant numbers of forces and equipment in there within a matter of days rather than weeks," Mr. Lord said.

As well as having equipment stored in friendly Gulf countries, the U.S. military has what it calls "equipment afloat ships" anchored at the Diego Garcia atoll in the mid-Indian Ocean and in Guam in the Western Pacific.

The Clinton administration wants to extend this network to include Southeast Asia, where the Straits of Malacca provide easy access to both the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.

In an interview with a Singapore journalist last month, Admiral Macke said that Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore were at the midpoint between these two areas.

"By stationing the ships and equipment there, we can get them to Northeast Asia or Southwest Asia in very little time," he said.

Mr. Lord said that while there was no threat at present to Asian security, "the best way to deter threats or not to have them, is to be ready for them and hope you don't have to use this kind of equipment."

But both Indonesia and Malaysia said that they would not accept American supply ships.

"It is clear that we do not want any foreign military base in our homeland, whatever form it takes," said Murdiono, the Indonesian state secretary. Indonesia currently chairs the Nonaligned Movement.

Ali Alatas, the Indonesian foreign minister, said that while Jakarta agreed that a U.S. presence in Asia was necessary, it should not take the form of foreign military bases in Southeast Asia.

Questioned Sunday about the U.S. plan, Mahathir bin Mohamad, the Malaysian prime minister, said that if Southeast Asian countries appeared to form a pact and singled out certain states as potential foes, it would lead to strained relations.

Copyright © 2006 The International Herald Tribune