Rajaratnam Wooed Aus., Nz., Japan

Australia, New Zealand and Japan were urged "to work more closely with non-communist nations in the region", otherwise, South-East Asia could be "swallowed up by communism". This appeal came from the Singapore Foreign Minister Rajaratnam during his interview with the Australia [unclear: Associat] Press (AAP).

Rajaratnam further enticed Australia by suggesting that it could in future become a member of Asean and thus it was in the Australia's interest to work closer with the Alliance.

This hysterical anti-communist war cry similar to that drummed up by the former Thieu regime of Saigon, the present Taiwan and South Korea regimes, is in short to call for foreign intervention into the internal affairs of the five countries in the Asean Alliance.

Rajaratnam made it clear that what he wanted of the three countries was "not just a question of aid", "not just meeting from time to time". That was part of the picture, but not the end of it, Raja reiterated.

He wanted the three countries to be "interlinked" with Asean, and to be "quite determined to preserve the co-operative action and the kind of way of life they now have".

Although the foreign minister did not elaborate how the three countries could "preserve" the "way of life", any keen observer of the region would realise that he was calling for more military commitment from Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

The whipping up of such anti-communist propaganda at a regional level is an extension of the internal "red scare" and cannot be viewed as mere rhetoric. The content of such a war cry is very much similar to the propaganda The American CIA is still making throughout the world. Though there may be little hard evidence to relate it to the CIA, circumstantial evidence does point to that direction.

It is well known that Taiwan and South Korean are the American anti-communist bastions which played an Important part in inflating the moral of the then Thieu regime in Saigon. In the present Asean context, the bilateral links between each of the Asean countries and Taiwan, Korea go beyond the economic spectrum. It Is now a fact that Singapore army men were trained in Taiwan and there is much talk about Taiwanese military personnel helping in the military training in Singapore. The BBC summary of World Broadcast carried an article about Lee Kuan Yew's recent visit to Taiwan, which was reportedly to be the fifth visit of Lee to Taiwan in recent years.

Also it was reported that the Malaysian army chief Lt. Gen. Tan Sri Mohd. Sany was in Seoul on April 14 for talks with South Korean defence leaders at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart Gen Yi Serho. During the visit, Sany was conferred an Order of Nation Security Merit by the Premier Choe Kyu-ha "in recognition of his contribution to strengthen ties between the two countries".

Any military built-up of foreign powers will not only threaten peace In S.E. Asia but will undermine the sovreignty of these countries. Presence of foreign military might, remininscent to pre-liberation Viet Nam, will further encourage the authoritatian regimes in the region to carry on with their repressive policies at home.

End of the Big Star

The latest joint military operation by Malaysian and Thai governments against communist guerillas in Wouthern Thailand ended recently. The campaign involving 5,00 troops supported by air strikes, artillery and army dogs, lasted 37 days.

According to a military spokesman, the success of Operation Big Star II included the capture of 20 communist camps, a tin mine and a herion factory. The losses were "3 Malaysian and 2 Thai soldiers killed, and 30 wounded". Both authorities bad admitted, however, that the guerillas had evacuated even before the campaign began.

A number of conflicts between the two participating countries emerged during the campaign. The Malaysian side was critical of the Thai for supplying only a quarter of the total number of troops involved. The Thais, however, defended themselves by saying that their troops were stretched in campaigns in 14 provinces in Thailand.

Comments were also made by the Malaysians on the costly drive and how it only benefitted a "foriegn country". On the other hand, both countries looked to the Americans for more military aids.

The nationwide rivalry between Thai police and the armed forces also had its effect on the campaign. Feer (22.04.1977) reported a "rumour" that a shoot-out getween the police and the army resulted in the death of 30 rural policemen. It also reported the brutal treatment of civilians by the armed forces in the area.

At the end of the campaign, some military officers expressed concern on where they would be posted next. Guerillas said to have been flushed out of one area and emerged over 100 km away to ambush the troops.

A concluding remark of a Malaysian officer was revealing, "We sweep out the leaves from the ground, but the leaves can fall again and we cannot be gardeners on other people's land forever".