Published on December 12, 2005

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia will cooperate to boost security in the region because an environment of insecurity may keep away economically vital foreign investment from the region, the country’s leaders agreed.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said that unless public safety and political stability were guaranteed, foreign investors would stay away. “Investors and businesses will not want to go into areas where they feel that the security of an area is not guaranteed,” he said.

“All of us agreed that we must do whatever we can so that the area enjoys peace and stability that can encourage investment and also the implementation of various projects that we have agreed upon,” Abdullah said.

He was speaking at a press briefing after a meeting with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono as part of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) ahead of the Asean Summit today.

Referring to the unrelenting violence in Thailand’s South, Abdullah said Thaksin had expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s cooperation and expected it to continue.

The violence in the deep South has driven away potential investors from the area, and the region’s tourism industry is also at a low.

Abdullah said a boost in tourism was another key factor in generating income for the entire region. He said the development of regional infrastructure and transportation networks was essential in attracting both tourism and investment.

The leaders also agreed they would coordinate efforts to combat the spread of avian influenza.

“The IMT-GT will have a roadmap for development to serve as the basis for cooperation of each priority sector for the next five years,” read a joint statement issued after the meeting.

Marisa Chimprabha

The Nation

Kuala Lumpur

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