SE Asia militaries cooperate on terror<\/p>\n
THE PHILIPPINES: Senior military officials from the 10-member
\nAssociation of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Friday
\nto step up cooperation to fight terrorism and other emerging
\nsecurity threats, such as the spread of bird flu.<\/p>\n
Seven of the 10 heads of ASEAN defense forces exchanged data
\nand experiences in dealing with regional security threats during
\nthe two-day annual meeting, said the Philippine military's chief
\nof staff, Gen. Generoso Senga.<\/p>\n
\"We must have faster and easier coordination especially for
\nmatters that needed quick response,\" he told reporters after the
\nregion's military chiefs signed an agreement to strengthen and
\nwiden cooperation in dealing with regional security problems.<\/p>\n
Copies of the agreement were not circulated and the sessions
\nat a Manila hotel were closed to news media.<\/p>\n
Among the security issues raised during the meeting were
\nterrorism, internal conflicts, overlapping territorial claims in
\nthe South China Sea and non-traditional military threats such as,
\ndrugs and human trafficking, piracy, disasters and bird flu.<\/p>\n
Senga said ASEAN military chiefs consider bird flu as serious
\na threat as cross-border terrorism, noting that cooperation in
\nthis field has brought successes, like the killing of a senior
\nJamaah Islamiyah (JI) bombmaker in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Southeast Asia has been a major target for Muslim militants,
\nincluding the al-Qaeda-linked regional JI network who are blamed
\nfor deadly bombings in Indonesia and the Philippines. -- Reuters<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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