MAF Will Further Send One Infantry Battalion To Aid Peacekeeping Missions - Defence Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will further contribute one infantry battalion for rapid deployment to assist peacekeeping missions and capacity building through training at the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre (MPC). Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein said he had instructed the proposed additional infantry battalion and engineering unit to be on standby to receive training from the Joint Forces Headquarters for peacekeeping deployment. "The additional deployment of our MAF troops is a sign of Malaysia’s commitment as a member of the United Nations, to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace," he said in a statement here, Sunday. Hishammuddin said his ministry and the MAF were fully committed to the Goverment's support of the Summit's objective of strengthening UN peacekeeping operations. Malaysia recently pledged to deploy 380 police officers and personnel to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission. Prime Minister Najib Razak made the pledge when speaking at the UN Peacekeeping Summit in New York on Monday. Hishammuddin said the MPC in Port Dickson (in Malaysian Negeri Sembilan state) provides MAF personnel, together with police and civil departments as well as NGO's with training and knowledge to enable them to function in peacekeeping operations, thus preparing them for operational duties in peacekeeping operations The centre which has trained 1931 local officers and 612 international participants from 52 countries is testament to Malaysia’s continuous commitment towards global peace which is the cornerstone to our National Defence Policy. "Due to the expertise brought in from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and close cooperation between UNDP and its partners, the MPC has strengthened its role as an international peacekeeping training centre and enabled Malaysia to play an increasing role in supporting UN initiatives regionally and globally. "As Chair of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting this year, I am pleased to announce that our efforts in effectively adopting the concept paper on ASEAN Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief recently in March at the 9th ADMM has received recognition as announced by our Prime Minister Najib Razak at the recent UN Peacekeeping Summit," he said. He added the Ready Group would serve as a dedicated force comprising specialists in disaster relief and military medicine from all ASEAN countries to be grouped under a single banner. This force would be trained together, develop common procedures and interoperability under existing ADMM platforms Hishamuddin said in the event of a calamity, upon request by the host country, this force would be immediately despatched, taking lead from a coordination centre. Thus, he said this ASEAN Ready Group will have special predetermined diplomatic clearance for entry, special lines of communications and pre-identified human resource and equipment specialties in place to cater for the diverse needs of a particular disaster. "The MAF has played a pivotal role in the implementation of foreign defence diplomacy policies. It has undertaken bilateral and multilateral engagements in different facets such as training, participation in UN peacekeeping as well as humanitarian and disaster relief operations," he added. Hishammuddin said the successful efforts of the MAF has not only raised Malaysia’s profile but cemented long-standing bonds between the MAF and her counterparts regionally as well as globally. "It is of great strategic imperative for Malaysia to be an active responsible member of the global community and important to highlight that our Malaysian troops have received commendations for their work from the UN, NATO, OIC and other countries, and we are extremely proud of their service for the good of others," he said. Currently, 920 personnel from the MAF are involved in several missions abroad with Malaysia's peacekeepers participating in the UN mission in Lebanon, as UN observers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Western Sahara, Liberia, Darfur & Abyei, under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Afghanistan and under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mindanao. -- BERNAMA