Calling the Kettle Black

"It's Malaysia's Guantanamo," the woman told me. I was visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week, to talk to an activist from a local human rights group. The group, SUARAM, has been leading a fierce campaign to abolish Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA), a law under which more than 70 men are currently held in preventive detention.

Some of the men are suspected of belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamist group responsible for terrorist bombings in Bali and elsewhere. Others are accused of common crimes like forgery. What they have in common--and what links them to detainees at Guantanamo--is that they are being held in long-term detention without charge or trial.

In a different era--back in the pre-Guantanamo, pre-"war on terror" days--the Clinton Administration would occasionally criticize Malaysia's reliance on the ISA. Now such concerns have largely been forgotten. What counts, for the U.S. government, is that Malaysia is a reliable ally in fighting terrorism.

Just hours ago the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia lauded the two countries' "shared cooperation" on counterterrorism. "We have been impressed and gratified that Malaysia wants a leadership role in this arena," he said.

First Give a Fair Trial to the Detainees at Guantanamo ...

On the rare occasion that U.S. officials venture to look critically at Malaysia's detention policies, the local authorities have a ready response: Guantanamo.