Mega backs endless war on terror<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As the world commemorated the second anniversary of the Sept. 11
\nattacks, President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on the people on
\nThursday to remain vigilant in fighting terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"We have to keep the spirit in fighting terrorism, do not ever
\ntake the issue lightly and only worry after something happens,\"
\nthe President said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Speaking before a group of bankers, Megawati, who had been
\ncriticized for her sluggish response to terrorist threats, said
\nthat there should be constant and tighter security measures to
\nensure the safety of the people.<\/p>\n
\"We are all aware that terrorism plagues the world that we are
\nliving, so how far do we protect ourselves against these
\nthreats?\" she asked.<\/p>\n
Her comments were made on the two year anniversary of the
\nterrorist attacks in New York and Washington in 2001, which
\nkilled nearly 3,000 innocent people, from over 90 countries,
\nincluding Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Indonesia also suffered from the Oct. 12 Bali blast, which
\nkilled more than 200 people, and the Aug. 5 JW Marriott hotel
\nbombing that claimed 12 innocent lives.<\/p>\n
Two of the key defendants in the Bali bombing trial have been
\nsentenced to death.<\/p>\n
The country has been requiring most buildings to tighten
\nsecurity measures.<\/p>\n
\"We have to begin from the smallest things such as ensuring
\nconstant security checking in every building around the country,\"
\nthe President said.<\/p>\n
The United States Embassy here has said it would not hold any
\nspecial commemoration.<\/p>\n
\"We will not hold any commemoration or special function to
\ncommemorate the tragedy,\" embassy spokesman, Stanley Harsha, said
\non Thursday as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
The embassy will only hold an internal commemoration, without
\nany special activity, he said without giving details.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Khartoum, Sudan, Vice President Hamzah Haz said
\nthat international cooperation in fighting terrorism should also
\ncover preventive measures.<\/p>\n
Governments across eastern Asia urged more cooperation against
\nterrorists while people in some of the 90 countries who lost
\ntheir citizens laid wreaths for the Sept. 11 victims. Australian
\nPrime Minister John Howard warned that the battle against terror
\nwould not end any time soon.<\/p>\n
\"This war against terrorism is likely to go on for years and
\nnobody can regard themselves as beyond the reach of terrorism,\"
\nHoward told Sky News Television.<\/p>\n
\"We need to find ways of further cooperation, particularly at
\na police and intelligence level.\"<\/p>\n
In China's Muslim northwest, the regional Communist Party
\nsecretary seized the occasion of the Sept. 11 anniversary to warn
\nthat separatists in the country's Xinjiang region were getting
\ntraining from international terrorists, including at \"several
\ntraining camps in Pakistan.\"<\/p>\n
\"We have found some training camps in Xinjiang after the Sept.
\n11 incident,\" he said as quoted by Associated Press, saying that
\nthe government's successful efforts to battle forces opposed to
\nBeijing's rule were being undermined by assistance from the
\nterrorists abroad.<\/p>\n
Across Japan, people paid their respects at memorials to the
\nthousands, including 24 Japanese, who perished.<\/p>\n
\"The threat of international terrorism still remains serious,\"
\nChief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told reporters. \"Japan will
\nfurther strengthen cooperation with other countries and continue
\nto tackle the problem.\"<\/p>\n
Ceremonies were also held in other parts of Asia, but no
\nreports of an official one in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
At the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, U.S. Charge d'
\nAffairs Joseph Mussomeli laid a wreath at the base of the
\nmission's flagpole, where the U.S. flag was at half mast.<\/p>",
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