ANTI-M`SIA DEMONSTRATORS TOO AGGRESSIVE, SAYS DR M

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was not
wrong for Malaysia to protest against the desecration of the Jalur Gemilang
(Malaysian Flag) by a
group of Indonesian demonstrators who stomped on it in front of the Malaysian
embassy in Jakarta recently.

Describing the demonstrators as aggressive, the former prime minister said
they were a small group hired to carry out the act.

"We can protest but we don't have to be like them. They were too aggressive.
We can't do that," he said after launching the donation for the Viva Palestina
Malaysia (VPM) humanitarian aid mission to Gaza, at the National Mosque, here,
Friday.

However, he said, Indonesia was still a friend to Malaysia.

The extreme behaviour of the demonstrators who burned and spat on the Jalur
Gemilang, and also threw faeces into the Malaysian embassy, was said to be out
of anger over what they claimed was Malaysia's disrespect for Indonesia.


The provocation is believed to be due to inaccurate reports in Indonesia on
the arrest of seven Malaysian fishermen by the Indonesian authority and that of
three Indonesian marine and fisheries officers by Malaysian marine police in
waters near Pengerang, Johor on Aug 13.

Various quarters in Malaysia view seriously the desecration of the Malaysian
national flag and urge the Indonesian authorities to control the situation.

On another note, Dr Mahathir said he would continue giving his views on
current issues and it was up to those involved to listen or not.

He rejected the claim that the New Economic Policy had hampered economic
growth.

"This country has grown so much faster than other developing countries, so
you cannot say that the NEP is an obstacle," he added.

-- BERNAMA