ASEAN ministers gather to explore antiterror pact<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian security ministers began arriving here on Sunday
\nfor a special meeting to discuss the terror scare and to explore
\na regional pact to combat the scourge.<\/p>\n
The home (interior) ministers of the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) at a two-day session starting on Monday
\nwould seek to deepen cooperation among their law enforcement
\nagencies and boost intelligence sharing, officials said.<\/p>\n
But they would stop short of defining terrorism amid failure
\namong senior officials at a preparatory meeting Saturday to agree
\non the matter, officials and reports said.<\/p>\n
The proposal to define terrorism was made by host Malaysia,
\nwho wanted an ASEAN consensus to boost enforcement in the region.<\/p>\n
But the New Sunday Times said the Malaysian proposal met with
\nresistance from Singapore and the Philippines, both of whom are
\nclose allies of the United States.<\/p>\n
It quoted diplomats as saying that the two countries feared
\nthat an Asian definition would make it cumbersome for them to act
\nagainst new forms of terrorism in the future.<\/p>\n
Myanmar's Col. Sit Aye, director of the international
\nrelations department, has described the definition as a "very
\ncontroversial" issue, but said Myanmar would follow the
\nconsensus.<\/p>\n
The Singapore home ministry's deputy secretary, Tan Boon Huat,
\ntold AFP that the ASEAN session was not a forum for intellectual
\ndebate but to "show the world that ASEAN is serious and we are
\nlooking at effective and practical means to deal with it."<\/p>\n
"The question of definition is not really that important. We
\ndon't have to wait for a universally-accepted definition to act
\nagainst terrorists, we know who they are," Tan said.<\/p>\n
"It is not an impediment."<\/p>\n
Tan said all 10 ASEAN nations have heightened security
\nfollowing the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, and
\nthe region was no longer a "soft target" for potential
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
"But ASEAN must remain ever vigilant because terrorism is
\nsomething that will go on for a long time," he added.<\/p>\n
Tan said a joint communique to be issued by the ministers
\nTuesday would be a "statement of commitments" to fight terror
\nwith new projects aimed at capability building and best practices
\nin the region.<\/p>\n
"It will be an endorsement from ASEAN ministers that the
\nimpetus to fight terror is maintained," he said.<\/p>\n
The New Sunday Times said ASEAN ministers were expected to
\nsign an anti-terrorism pact, mirroring a trilateral security
\nagreement signed in Kuala Lumpur last week between Malaysia,
\nIndonesia and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The trilateral pact sets out a framework for the countries to
\ncooperate to combat terrorist groups and prevent them from using
\ntheir assets for transnational crime.<\/p>\n
ASEAN officials on Friday ended a two-day meeting on
\ntransnational crime here by agreeing to work toward harmonizing
\ncriminal laws, conduct joint exercises to boost law enforcement,
\nand intelligence to combat terror.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
\nMalaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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