KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia will not interfere in business relations between arms manufacturers and other countries, its defense minister said Tuesday, after protesters demanded that the government expel companies that supply weapons to Israel from an international exhibition.
More than 1,300 companies from 60 nations are participating in Defense Services Asia and the concurrent National Security Asia exhibitions that started Monday. The events are hosted and co-organized by Malaysia's Defense Ministry and Home Affairs Ministry.
The Solidarity for Palestinian coalition held a brief rally outside the exhibition center on Tuesday to protest the presence of U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin, European missile manufacturer MBDA and others that provide arms to Israel. The coalition accused the manufacturers of being complicit in Israel's offensive in Gaza.
They said the companies' presence was inconsistent with the Malaysian government's support of Palestinian statehood and insensitive to the many Malaysians who oppose Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories. Muslims account for two-thirds of Malaysia's 34 million people.
“We urge the Malaysian government to take a firm and consistent stand. Do not allow these murderous arm dealers to participate and prevent their war mongering,” coalition spokesperson Tian Chua said.
Defense Minister Khaled Nordin said Malaysia opposes all forms of injustice against the Palestinian people but is also a “free trade country.” He said the exhibition is a space for the defense industry to display its latest technology and help countries strengthen their defense preparedness.
“This exhibition does not favor or give advantage to any particular country or company,” Khaled said in a statement. “The relationship of some global defense companies with certain countries is a business matter that Malaysia will not interfere with.”
He noted that many Islamic countries are participating in the exhibition, including Turkey, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Pakistan.
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has also called for the arms suppliers to be expelled from the country.
Malaysian military personnel stand at the booth of Leonardo, a company that specializes in aerospace, defense, and security, at the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Syawalludin Zain)
A replica of a military drone named "GAZA" is displayed at the Iranian pavilion at the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Syawalludin Zain)
People gather around the booth of Colt, an American firearm manufacturer, on display at the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Syawalludin Zain)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least 10 people were reported killed in attacks in Ukraine’s war-ravaged northeast on Sunday as Russia pushed ahead with its renewed offensive.
In the Kharkiv region, the focus of the offensive, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said five people were killed and 16 wounded in a Russian strike on the outskirts of the regional capital, also called Kharkiv.
He added that five more people were killed and nine wounded in an attack on the region’s Kupiansk district, southeast of the regional capital.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday that its forces in the area were “continuing to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defense.” Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia had stepped up its attacks around Kharkiv and that the situation was “dynamic.”
Russia launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region late last week, significantly adding to the pressure on Ukraine’s outnumbered and outgunned forces which are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. Ukraine’s overstretched forces are trying to slow Russia on the new front by using bomb-laden drones to destroy military vehicles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday during a visit to China that Moscow’s offensive in the Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but that there are no plans to capture the city.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia continued to exchange drone attacks.
Ukrainian air force officials said Sunday morning that air defenses shot down all 37 Russian drones launched against the country overnight.
In Russia, Russian air defenses shot down 57 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Local military officials said drone debris hit an oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk-on-Kuban, but there was no fire or damage. News outlet Astra published videos appearing to show an explosion at the refinery as it was hit by a drone. The videos could not be independently verified.
Nine long-range ballistic missiles and a drone were destroyed over the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, following Friday morning’s massive Ukrainian drone attack that cut off power in the city of Sevastopol.
A further three drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. According to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov, a church roof was set on fire by falling drone debris, but there were no casualties.
The Russian-installed governor of Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that one person died and 16 were wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a minibus on Sunday morning.
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Morton reported from London.
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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov during their meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Ukrainian police officers look for fragments of a glide bomb in front of damaged house after a Russian airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A Ukrainian police officer and war crime prosecutor inspect fragments of a glide bomb in front of damaged house, after a Russian airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
