US shuffles diplomats in Southeast Asia

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is shuffling its envoys in Southeast Asia as it strives to mend its battered image and put democracy and human rights back on top of its agenda in the region.

The American ambassadors of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, East Timor, Vietnam and Laos are to be replaced soon on completion of their term, which is generally about two years, officials said.

Yet, the changes come as the United States faces an uphill task trying to regain its image tarnished particularly in the predominantly-Muslim nations of Malaysia and Indonesia by the debacle in Iraq.

"Far too few Malaysians hold positive views of the United States," said James Keith, the ambassador-designate to Malaysia, at a recent Senate confirmation hearing.

He said one of his goals, if confirmed, would be to build on an ongoing public outreach program throughout Malaysia "to provide an accurate basis from which the Malaysian people can form opinions
about the American people, our values, and our goals in the world.

"It will be critical, in this context, for my country team and for me to speak forthrightly about our commitment to fundamental values," said Keith, who was named by President George W. Bush to take over from current ambassadaor Christopher LaFleur.

American popularity in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, plunged after the controversial 2003 US-led Iraq invasion.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are close friends of Bush and often work behind the scenes to improve ties.

Abdullah wants to forge a free trade pact with the United States while Yudhoyono managed to restore defense cooperation amid reforms of the once powerful military and to polish his country's human rights record.

"While we still have serious concerns with human rights in Indonesia, I would be remiss without acknowledging the dramatic and broad progress the country has made here too," said Cameron Hume, the ambassador designate to Indonesia.

But he noted that the poisoning murder in 2004 of leading Indonesian human rights activist Munir, who died on a flight of the national carrier Garuda, "has not been fully resolved" despite "encouraging developments" in Jakarta's efforts to build a strong criminal case.

Hume, poised to take over from ambassador Lynn Pascoe, also vowed to make it a priority to continue to press the Indonesian government for a "fair accounting of past human rights abuses committed by security forces in East Timor and elsewhere."

The prospective envoys in Indonesia and Malaysia also want the two countries to help dissuade Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapons program amid new moves to tighten UN sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Malaysia shares a range of business and economic ties with Iran, including a prospective 16 billion dollar oil deal.

Keith said he would "emphasize that we are vigorously opposed to business as usual with Iran."

Another change in the shake up among American diplomats in the region would be in Thailand, where a raging Muslim insurgency in the country's restive south is causing much concern in Washington.

The current deputy assistant secretary of state Eric John, who has been in charge of Southeast Asian affairs, has been named to take over from ambassador Ralph Boyce in Thailand, which together with the Philippines are US treaty military allies.

Washington has also been pushing Thailand's military junta, which overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and dumped the country's constitution in September 2006, to keep its promise of holding democratic elections by December.

In Vietnam, US ambassador designate Michael Michalak, currently a senior US APEC official, is slated to replace envoy Michael Marine amid tensions between the former battlefield rival nations over the treatment of political dissidents in communist Vietnam.