By : YVONNE LIM and RAZAK
AHMAD
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has
expressed its displeasure to Singapore over the participation of three of its
diplomats at the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28.
Singapore High Commissioner
Ong Keng Yong was summoned to Wisma Putra yesterday where he was told by Foreign
Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman that diplomats must be mindful of the
sensitivities of the host country, and that the involvement of the three at the
rally was inappropriate.
The minister explained that
while it was a diplomatic mission's responsibility to monitor developments in
the country and report to their respective governments, diplomats should not
participate in illegal rallies like Bersih 3.0.
On Thursday, Ong had stated
that three High Commission officials his deputy Ariel Tan and first secretaries
(political) Regina Low and Philomena Aw went to the Bersih rally in their
personal capacities and were not on any official assignment.
He denied that the officials
had gone there to support the protesters who were demanding that free and fair
elections be held.
Anifah, who had spoken out
against the participation of diplomats at street demonstrations during a
luncheon with Asean ambassadors here on June 11, said he had stressed to Ong
that Wisma Putra would not hesitate to take stronger action against diplomats
found to have stepped beyond the norms applicable under the Vienna Convention
on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and Malaysian laws.
Meanwhile, a Singapore
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the diplomats were
present at the Bersih 3.0 rally as impartial observers and performing “part of
their normal professional diplomatic duties”.
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