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Singaporean diplomats will "inevitably" be more guarded in exchanges with their US counterparts following the disclosure of confidential cables by WikiLeaks, Foreign Minister George Yeo said Monday. Yeo said the revelations by WikiLeaks had been "disastrous" for US diplomacy. Singaporean leaders were left red-faced after documents released by WikiLeaks last month detailed the city-state's top diplomats bad-mouthing regional neighbors to US diplomats in private exchanges. The reports detailed Australian and US diplomats talking about Singaporean leaders' perception of close Asian allies as being "corrupt and incompetent," with neighbor Malaysia taking the brunt of the criticism. The episode led to Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman summoning the Singaporean ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, where he handed over a protest note and expressed "Malaysia's deep concern and displeasure over the comments." According to a reported cable dated September 2008, Singaporean diplomats said there is a "distinct possibility of racial conflict" in Malaysia, which would see ethnic Chinese "flee" the country and "overwhelm" Singapore. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was reportedly described as "an opportunist" who "would not hesitate" to be critical of Singapore if "it is expedient for him to do so." AFP |
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