US YET TO DECIDE MALAYSIAN DETAINEES' FATE

By D. Arul Rajoo

PHUKET, July 24 (Bernama) -- The two Malaysian terrorist suspects being held
at the soon-to-be-closed Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will remain there until the
United States concludes its investigation, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman
said Thursday.

He said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had told him that the
investigation had yet to be completed.

"As soon as they complete the investigation, they will inform us what to do
with them (the suspects)," he told the Malaysian media after the 16th Asean
Regional Forum (ARF), which ended here Thursday.

Anifah said the matter was raised during his meeting on the sideline of the
ARF.

The issue on the two Malaysians, Mohd Farik Amin or Zaid (Zubair) and
Mohammed Nazir Lep or Bashir Lep (Lillie), held at Guantanamo Bay for alleged
involvement in the militant group Jemaah Islamiah and Al-Qaeda since 2003, was
first raised during their meeting in Washington.

Anifah also said he informed Clinton that Malaysia was investigating
Washington's claim on human trafficking cases in Malaysia and the arrests of
nine people, including five Johor Immigration Department officers for alleged
involvement in an international human trafficking syndicate.

"We are not saying it is happening but we are also not saying it is not
happening," he said.

In fact, he said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had informed the
relevant agencies to investigate the claim, and the arrest was a result of that.


Last month, the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 put
Malaysia back on its list of countries suspected of not doing enough to combat
human trafficking, together with six African countries -- Chad, Eritrea, Niger,
Mauritania, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

On a report in the Bangkok Post that the outlawed Mujahideen Malaysia Group
was hiding in southern Thailand and training insurgents there, Anifah
said it was just an allegation and there was no evidence to back it up.

Anifah said he told the ARF that terrorism should not be associated with any
country, race ethnicity and religion.

The minister also said he had extended an invitation to Clinton to visit
Malaysia, adding that the former First Lady told him that she was looking to
come to Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA