At times when domestic problems become acute, governments often distract the public by ratcheting up tensions with a neighbour. This appears to be partly behind a sharp deterioration in relations between Malaysia and Singapore, which are now at a low ebb.
In the latest development yesterday, Malaysia accused Singapore aircraft and vessels of entering Malaysian territory without permission at least seven times in two weeks. Relations between Malaysia and Indonesia also show signs of cooling.
A senior Indonesian minister yesterday expressed regret over the reported beating of the sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister, Mr Anwar Ibrahim. The State Secretary, Mr Akbar Tandjung, also told reporters that the Indonesian President, Mr B.J. Habibie, was reconsidering a planned visit to Malaysia this month, saying he was too busy.
Earlier this week, Indonesian parliamentarians expressed outrage over remarks by a visiting envoy on behalf of the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, suggesting, in a reference to sodomy charges against Mr Anwar, that homosexuality was more acceptable in Indonesia.
In other developments, leaders of countries belonging to the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation group have indicated they are still prepared to accept invitations to the summit meeting of the group in Kuala Lumpur next month, despite the crackdown on civil liberties and the apparent beating of Mr Anwar in police custody.
The White House has said that President Clinton still intends to travel to Malaysia and yesterday Canada also said it would send top officials.
Australia, whose leaders have expressed anger at Dr Mahathir's conduct in the crisis, has yet to announce its decision, as it is having a general election.
The allegation by Mr Anwar this week that he was beaten while in detention has come as a sensation in Malaysia, just as Dr Mahathir's government was building a case against him on sex charges. Mr Anwar was charged this week with five sexual offences and five concerning alleged corruption.
The case has been referred to the High Court which has yet to set a trial date. Newspaper photographs of Mr Anwar's blackened left eye have provoked widespread criticism from rights groups, opposition leaders and foreign governments, including the US.
In Kuala Lumpur the leader of the parliamentary opposition, Mr Lim Kit Siang, called on the Prime Minister to tell Malaysians whether he had known about injuries to Mr Anwar before he appeared in court on Tuesday. "I do not rule out the possibility that Mahathir had not been privy to the information that Anwar had been brutally beaten up while in police custody, but this raises alarming questions about the state of governance in Malaysia," he said.
An aide to Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying the Prime Minister was angered when he learned that his former deputy had been beaten up. Dr Mahathir has promised an internal inquiry.
Meanwhile Ms Wan Azizah, the wife of Mr Anwar, was summoned by police for a third time for questioning about a statement she made expressing fears that her husband would be injected with the AIDS virus when in police custody.
Police yesterday released seven of Mr Anwar's supporters held under the Interior Security Act but arrested two more, leaving 10 still in detention.
The accusation of air and sea violations of Malaysian territory by Singapore follows a ban imposed by Malaysia on September 17th on Singapore Air Force planes flying into Malaysian airspace, citing pollution problems and public concern, and on combined search and rescue operations.
Relations between the two countries, separated only by a narrow causeway, have always been testy but have now reached what observers say is their lowest point since the Malaysian Federation broke up in 1965 and the two countries went their separate ways.
Malaya was angered by the publication this month of the memoirs of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's prime minister for 31 years until 1990, in which he accused Malaysian politicians of instigating race riots in Singapore in 1964 which killed 23 people. The air and sea violations were announced at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur by the Malaysian Defence Minister, Mr Syed Hamid Albar. He said that relations between the military forces of both nations were still good.
However, he rejected comments by the Singapore Defence Minister, Mr Tony Tan, that Malaysia had delayed a search and rescue effort after a British helicopter crashed into the South China Sea on September 23rd.
Mr Tan had said Malaysia took four-and-a-half hours to approve Singapore rescue aircraft to use its airspace to reach the downed British helicopter. A British officer was killed in the crash and another was rescued with minor injuries. "We still have a good relationship but it does not mean that if something happened we should keep quiet," he said. "We do not want to be involved in mudslinging."
The two neighbours have also fallen out over a Malaysian railway that goes through Singapore, and Malaysian water sales to Singapore.
Last week the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, accused Malaysia of trying to make Singapore poorer. He told reporters in New York, apparently referring to Malaysian exchange controls which have affected Singapore, that he had signed a joint declaration with Dr Mahathir for a "prosper-thy-neighbour" policy, but the policy appeared now to be "beggaring each other".
"They think that we are trying to beggar Malaysia and some of the steps they take would appear to be making Singapore poorer. I think this is an unfortunate turn of events."
In Kuala Lumpur, Dr Mahathir retorted in a parliamentary reply, "It is impossible for us to make Singapore, a rich country, poorer. What we require is to bring our wealth back to our own country."