Malaysia to deploy 380 police officers for UN peacekeeping mission - Najib

Malaysia has pledged to deploy 380 police officers and personnel to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission.

Speaking at the UN Peacekeeping Summit here Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the group would serve as part of the United Nations Police.

He said an infantry battle group, together with an engineering unit would also be rapidly deployed to assist peacekeeping missions.

Najib said the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre located in Port Dickson had to date trained over 2,500 local and international participants from 52 countries.

United States President Barack Obama co-hosted the peacekeeping summit to garner support and commitment from world leaders towards a more effective UN peacekeeping operation.

Among prominent figures at the summit were leaders from China, European Union, Italy, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the United Kingdom.

Najib said as chair of ASEAN, Malaysia played a significant role in the establishment of the ASEAN Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief for quick deployment to areas of crisis in the region.

“We believe ASEAN militaries can play a critical role as first responders to challenges in the region through the effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response,” he said.

Najib said since 1960, Malaysia had participated in 35 UN peacekeeping missions involving over 29,000 military and police personnel.

He said currently, Malaysian peacekeepers were participating in Western Sahara, Congo, Lebanon, Liberia, Abyei and Darfur.