Philippines needs neighbors' help in combatting terrorism<\/p>\n
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asia News Network, Manila<\/p>\n
The international campaign against terrorism takes an ASEAN
\naccent this week when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\nsummit in Brunei considers a draft declaration calling for
\nincreased regional cooperation in combating terrorism. The
\ndeclaration grew out of a Philippine initiative seeking the
\nformation of a coalition among the Philippines, Indonesia and
\nMalaysia as the tripod of the ASEAN anti-terrorism effort.<\/p>\n
While ASEAN members have joined the condemnation by the
\ninternational community of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the
\nUnited States, two of the largest Muslim countries in the ASEAN
\n-- Indonesia and Malaysia -- have called on the U.S. and its
\nWestern allies to halt bombings on Afghanistan, emphasizing the
\ndivergence between the U.S. and some of its Asian allies over the
\nmode of battling terrorism.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Malaysia, which are both secular Islamic states,
\nhave been roiled by protests from extremist Islamic groups which
\nhave manifested support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,
\nOsama bin Laden and al-Qaeda network. It is in the interest of
\nthe stability of their governments to strike a balance between
\nfighting terrorism and not taking part in the military action
\nstaged by the United States and its Western allies.<\/p>\n
The part of the Philippines in this three-nation coalition
\nstems from the fact that has a home-grown Islamic extremist
\ngroup, the Abu Sayyaf, which has carried out terrorist activities
\nin the form of abduction of innocent civilians and fighting
\ngovernment troops. The Abu Sayyaf has links to the al-Qaeda
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
The Philippines has a significant Muslim population, and the
\ngovernments of Malaysia and Indonesia are concerned over reports
\nthat the attacks on Afghanistan have fueled the resentment of
\nfundamentalist Islamic groups against secular governments. Some
\ngovernments in the ASEAN are worried that Islamic extremists may
\nforge links within the region and undermine the stability of
\nsecular regimes. Already, there are reports that the Abu Sayyaf
\nhas sent arms to extremist groups in Indonesia. Many Filipino
\nMuslims have declared themselves ready to volunteer as fighters
\njoining the Taliban.<\/p>\n
While the Philippines has a Muslim minority with close ties to
\nthe Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia, it has gone farther than
\nthese two countries in assisting the U.S. military action in
\nAfghanistan. The Philippines has allowed the use of former
\nAmerican bases in Clark and Subic for refueling of aircraft and
\nships and transit of troops and supplies to staging points for
\nAfghanistan.<\/p>\n
American counterterrorism specialists are already in the
\nPhilippines acting as \"advisers\" to Filipino troops to improve
\ntheir capability to fight the Abu Sayyaf. The more aggressive
\ncommitment of the Philippines to help U.S. military action is in
\ncontrast to the more restrained posture of Indonesia and
\nMalaysia, whose governments have to prevent Islamic extremism
\nfrom spreading among their population.<\/p>\n
Because of the different outlooks among the Philippines,
\nIndonesia and Malaysia in their support of the international
\nanti-terrorism campaign, their basis of cooperation is
\nnecessarily limited to not military action.<\/p>\n
As President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has pointed out, \"through
\nthis coalition, we will work to share intelligence on terrorist
\nactivities, tighten border patrols and, when necessary, take part
\nin joint peacekeeping operations.\"<\/p>\n
Such a coalition does not, however, inhibit the Philippines
\nfrom pursuing the other dimension of its policy aligning the
\ncountry with the U.S.-led military action against terrorism. Its
\nsupport for the campaign is anchored on the United Nations
\nSecurity Council resolution establishing the framework for action
\nagainst terrorism in many areas. While the Philippines' ASEAN
\nallies are less enthusiastic about joining military action,
\nPresident Macapagal has offered Filipino troops for combat
\nduties, if requested within the UN framework.<\/p>\n
The prospects of Philippine military involvement in the
\ncampaign appear remote. Our problem with terrorism centers on its
\nlocal variants. We have had a long experience with banditry and
\noutlawry in the South, but with the rise of Islamic extremism,
\nour immediate concern is to check it from spreading, with the
\nhelp of our Islamic neighbors.<\/p>",
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