Hisham: Rise in threats gives impetus for 2017 Lima

KUALA LUMPUR: The rise of national and international threats such as the Islamic State terrorist group is making defence shows like the 2017 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) Exhibition increasingly important.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said those involved in the defence sphere were faced with more and more challenges, one which he described as complex and complicated.

“As you see, things are unfolding in Orlando, even in the streets of London, in Belgium and in Jakarta.

“(As for Malaysia) we have identified several hotspots, such as the Sulu Straits and the Malacca Straits.

“There is also the issue of border security between neighbouring countries and the South China Sea conflict, which have to be monitored carefully.”

Hishammuddin was speaking at a press conference after the launching of the 2017 Lima exhibition here today.

“The world wants to know what are the best practices we all can emulate; who has the best technology available out there; and what are the challenges that we need to face because these enemies are common enemies of us all.

“Those who came for past exhibitions recognised this.

“That’s why last year’s Lima received a good response from those interested in defence and security.”

The 2017 Lima exhibition will take place from March 21 to 25 next year and Hishammuddin expressed his goal of making it bigger than ever.

He said his ministry expected to display at least 80 aircraft as well as 68 warships and boats. It also hoped for an increase in trade visitors to 40,000 and the number of delegates to reach 380.

“We will seek to put up world-class exhibitions featuring government pavilions, an SME Pavilion, and a R&D Section.

“We will also bring back the high-impact conferences and meetings, such as the Chief of Navy and Roundtable talks and Air Chiefs Conference.”

On another note, the minister said the meeting among the defence ministries of Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia had been fast-tracked, resulting in the next meeting taking place next month.

He said the meeting, which will see the three countries discussing collaborative measures to combat militant threats in the Sulu Sea, is scheduled to take place in Jakarta.

“The meeting has been fast-tracked due to the realisation that this issue is not a problem which can be resolved just by one nation.”