ASEAN, Aussie police back antiterror plan<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja and Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Surakarta<\/p>\n
Police forces of member countries of the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) and the Australian Federal Police agreed to
\nshare intelligence information and simplify bureaucratic
\nprocedures in a bid to enhance efforts in combating terrorism.<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of a two-day meeting here between top police
\nofficers of ASEAN countries and Australia, National Police chief
\nGen. Sutanto said that collaboration was needed speed up the
\nresponse after countries suffered from terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
\"It'd be such a pity if our efforts in combating terrorism
\nshould face obstacles such as bureaucratic procedures or other
\ncomplicated regulations between countries.<\/p>\n
\"We need to be fast regardless of the jurisdiction of each
\ncountry so that police officers can communicate with their
\n(overseas) counterparts easily in the future,\" Sutanto said over
\nthe weekend.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by Brunei Darussalam Police
\ncommissioner Zainuddin Bin Jalani, Singapore commissioner Khoo
\nBoon Hui, Philippines National Police director general Arturo C.
\nLomibao, Cambodia Police deputy head Lt. Gen. Sok Phai, director
\nof internal security and public order from the Royal Malaysian
\nPolice Dato Othman bin Talib, Thailand police chief Gen. Pateep
\nTanprasert and Australian Police commissioner Mick Keelty.<\/p>\n
The increased cooperation between the police forces could be a
\ngood start to improve relations between ASEAN and Australia,
\nwhich have weakened during the past several years after Australia
\nsupported the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.<\/p>\n
Cooperation between the Indonesian and Australian police has
\nbeen strengthened after Australia sent its officers to help
\nIndonesia investigate the first bomb attacks in Bali in 2002,
\nwhich killed 202 people including 88 Australians.<\/p>\n
In a relatively short time, some of the key perpetrators of
\nthe terror attack were apprehended. The Australian police have
\nalso helped Indonesia investigate the second Bali blast on Oct.
\n1, which killed 23 people including the three suicide bombers.
\nThat help led to the successful raid on the hiding place of top
\nterrorist Azahari bin Husin in Batu, East Java on Nov. 9.<\/p>\n
Sutanto said the region's top police officers vowed at the
\nmeeting to start large counter-terrorism operations in their
\ncountries as part of the global war against terrorists.<\/p>\n
\"This is precisely why all of us are together here; to show to
\nthose who would be terrorists that we're committed regardless of
\nthe differences in our cultures, laws and jurisdictions. We'll
\nwork together to defeat them,\" Australian Police chief Mick
\nKeelty said.<\/p>\n
After performing an autopsy last week, police are still trying
\nto identify the man who died along with Azahari in Batu.<\/p>\n
Two antiterror officers searched on Friday night the room of a
\nman named Agus Puryanto in his uncle's house in Cemani
\nsubdistrict in Sukoharjo, Central Java. They questioned the
\nuncle, Afandi Mustofa, on his nephew's religious activities and
\nseized a number of books and a diary belonging to Agus, a student
\nof the State Islamic Institute in Surakarta.<\/p>\n
Agus moved to Sukoharjo from his hometown Ngawi in East Java
\nin 1997. Afandi said Agus left his house in August, saying he
\nwould concentrate on his thesis.<\/p>\n
\"Only yesterday did I hear news of Agus again, after the
\npolice told me he was the man who died along with Azahari during
\nthe Batu raid,\" Afandi said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The basis of the police's suspicion that Azahari's partner was
\nAgus has not been made public. The man blew himself up after an
\nexchange of fire with the police.<\/p>\n
Police had initially identified Azahari's partner as the man
\nwho assembled the bombs that exploded on Oct. 1 in three Bali
\nrestaurants.<\/p>",
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