CONFERENCE OF S.E.A.T.O.

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28870, 15 April 1959, Page 13

CONFERENCE OF S.E.A.T.O.

“Asian Suspicion Increased” LONDON. April 14. If one objective of the SouthEast Asia Treaty Organisation’s ministerial council was to hearten South-east Asian countries and if Malaya was a fair example of a genuinely independent Asian State, then last week’s conference in Wellington was not the success its official communique claimed, says the ‘‘Manchester Guardian’s” correspondent in Kuala Lumpur. The correspondent says that the suspicion arouse in Kuala Lumpur by an organisation which has five European or American and only three Asian members has been greatly increased by a S.E.A.T.O. spokesman’s statement that the proposed “fire brigade” force which might be rushed to a trouble spot would probably come from Commonwealth reserves at present serving in Malaya. “Twice within the month Date Abdul Razak, who is both Minister of Defence and Acting Prime Minister, has had to point out that the British-Malayan defence agreement forbids such use of British troops without the Federation Government’s consent and he said only last week that under no circumstances would Malaya change those provisions. “It should be remembered that the agreement was accepted here only after the Tengku insisted that Commonwealth troops were needed to defend Malaya and it is not certain they would be welcome after the end of the emergency.

“The S.E.A.T.O. communique’s promise to tackle areas of poverty is also unpopular here in countries where nationalism is so sensitive that any foreign aid is viewed with suspicion, especially when offered through a primarily military organisation. “S.E.A.T.O. is in fact of little help to countries, like Malaya, determined to remain genuinely independent even if they appear neutralist in the process,” the correspondent says.