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Malaysia Lashes Out at US Over Detention of Al-Qaeda Suspects

Agence France Presse
September 12, 2006

KUALA LUMPUR , Sept 12, 2006 (AFP) -

Malaysia on Tuesday lashed out at the United States for the covert detention of two Malaysian Al-Qaeda suspects, and said Washington was breaking international laws in its anti-terrorism efforts.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar criticised the US for withholding information on the two suspects, saying Malaysia had not been informed of their transfer from secret CIA detention to the GuantanamoBay prison camp.

"We were not given any information whether they are terrorists or not. Being citizens of our country, we should be informed," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying by the Malaysian state Bernama news agency from Cuba.

He also said Malaysia's embassy in the US had tried to get information on them for the past two years, but had failed.

US President George W Bush last week announced 14 suspects had been transferred from covert custody under the Central Intelligence Agency to GuantanamoBay to be tried by military commissions.

The group included Malaysians Zubair and Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep, otherwise known as Lillie.

Bush's statement was the first confirmation of secret overseas CIA detentions.

Syed Hamid accused the US of hypocrisy in treatment of the terrorism suspects and reiterated Malaysia's calls for a fair trial for the pair.

"I think it's ironical when you try to introduce democracy but there are certain aspects of democracy such as human rights that are not being adopted as the best practices of democracy," he said.

He also said Washington was ignoring international laws to combat terrorism, adding that US tactics had raised fears in smaller countries their soverignty would be breached, Bernama reported.

"This sort of act is not good for the sustainability of the international system. Small countries will fear for their future, whether they can act independently," he said.

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