The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, returning to Kuala Lumpur on March 6th after the breakdown of the peace talks between Malaysia, the Phillipines and Indonesia, described the situation as 'a time of emergency for us'. He added: "We shall take every possible measure to protect our threatened sovereignty and integrity, and, if necessary, get help from our friends". Asked whether open warfare was imminent between Malaysia and Indonesia, he replied: "It's a matter for the Indonesians to decide".

Before leaving Bangkok with his nine-man delegation, Tun Razak had described the situation as "very serious" and added, "if our territory is invaded we have got to defend ourselves".