Cablegate: Time Upsets Mahathir

R 130902Z APR 95
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0919
INFO AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
AMEMBASSY MANILA
AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001919

EAP/PIMBS

E.O.12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL PGOV MY
SUBJECT: TIME UPSETS MAHATHIR

1. PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIR RESPONDED WITH ANTI-WEST
RHETORIC TO AN ARTICLE IN THE APRIL 10 ISSUE OF TIME
MAGAZINE WHICH ALLEGED THAT ABU SAYYAF, A SMALL MUSLIM
EXTREMIST GROUP BASED IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES, WAS
RECEIVING ARMS, MONEY AND TRAINING FROM ISLAMIC GROUPS
IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES INCLUDING MALAYSIA. THE ARTICLE
ALSO REPORTED THAT "THE GROUP USES TRAINING CAMPS IN
MALAYSIA AND IS EXPECTING ARMS SHIPMENTS FROM
SUPPORTERS THERE." THE PRIME MINISTER DESCRIBED THE
PIECE AS A "PART OF A CAMPAIGN BY THE WESTERN MEDIA TO
DISCREDIT MALAYSIA" TO "DETER PEOPLE FROM INVESTING
AND VISITING HERE, GENERALLY AIMED AT UNDERMINING THE
NATION'S ECONOMY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT." PEOPLE UNHAPPY
WITH MALAYSIA'S "VOCIFEROUS" STAND ON INTERNATIONAL
ISSUES, HE EXPLAINED, WERE BEHIND THE WESTERN MEDIA'S
CONSPIRACY. HE ALSO CONFIDENTLY CHALLENGED TIME TO
"COME TO MALAYSIA AND MAKE A REPORT HERE" THAT
MALAYSIA IS TRAINING TERRORISTS. THE INFORMATION
MINISTER ECHOED THE PM'S LINE. NO ONE FROM THE GOM
HAS FORMALLY OR INFORMALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE
ARTICLE TO US. SEVERAL OF OUR MALAYSIAN CONTACTS ARE
CURIOUS ABOUT THE STORY -- THEY WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S
TRUE.

2. COMMENT: MAHATHIR WAS STILL ANXIOUS ABOUT THE
NEGATIVE IMPACT OF A RECENT FORTUNE ARTICLE WHICH
DESCRIBED THE MALAYSIAN CURRENCY AS AT RISK
POST-MEXICO, WHEN THE TIME PIECE CAME OUT. HE ORDERED
A DELAY IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE TIME ISSUE BUT DID
NOT BAN IT. (OBSERVERS EXPECT THE MAGAZINE WILL BE
ALLOWED ON THE SHELVES IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.) WITH
THE GENERAL ELECTION JUST AROUND THE CORNER, HIS
RHETORIC WAS VERY MUCH EXPECTED SINCE CONSPIRACY
THEORIES STILL HAVE A FOLLOWING HERE. HOWEVER, AS
COMPARED TO HIS PREVIOUS BOUTS WITH WESTERN MEDIA
(MOST NOTABLY, DENYING CONTRACTS TO BRITISH FIRMS IN
RESPONSE TO AN UNFLATTERING ARTICLE IN THE BRITISH
PRESS), THE PM'S REACTION TO FORTUNE AND NOW TIME
PIECES HAS BEEN MODERATE AND APPARENTLY SHORT LIVED.
THERE MAY BE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS. DIFFERENT FROM
PREVIOUS CASES, MAHATHIR WAS NOT PERSONALLY MENTIONED
IN THE STORIES. FURTHER, THE LAST TWO ANTI-BRITISH
AND ANTI-AUSTRALIAN OUTINGS HAVE NOT BEEN VIEWED AS
CLEAR-CUT VICTORIES FOR THE PM. FINALLY, GIVEN THE
MURKY GENERAL HISTORY OF MORO-MALAYSIAN DEALINGS, HE
MAY FEEL IT BEST NOT TO GO INTO TOO MANY DETAILS. THE
FACT THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ALMOST NO QUERIES FROM THE
PRESS IS FURTHER INDICATION THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES
NOT WISH TO MAKE AN ISSUE OF THIS AT THIS TIME.

CHAMBERLIN

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