AIPO moves to fight illicit drugs, poverty
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The ASEAN Inter-Parliament Organization (AIPO) issued two resolutions recommending that ASEAN governments cooperate to combat illicit drugs and eradicate poverty in the region.
The resolutions on drugs and poverty were signed by all 10 delegations at the closing ceremony of a two-day AIPO meeting here on Friday.
The drug resolution recommended that all ASEAN governments set up a network for information exchange among its parliaments, authorities and non-governmental organizations in their regional cooperation to handle narcotics issues ranging from the spread of drug syndicates and traffickers to drug abuse prevention and the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
Surya Chandra Surapaty, chairman of the AIPO fact-finding committee handling the drug menace, said that all delegations agreed to harmonize legislation related to penalties for drug trafficking and money-laundering, including the forging of an ASEAN extradition treaty for drug offenses and money-laundering.
"We agree to harmonize our drug laws to impose harsher sanctions on drug syndicates, since we are of the same opinion that law enforcement is an effective way to help reduce drug trafficking and producing.
"And that is why all delegations agree to enhance cooperation in sea, land and air transportation and border security control to stop drug trafficking in the region," he said after the closing ceremony.
He added that the issuance of the drug resolution was part of ASEAN's commitment to making the region free of illicit drugs by 2015.
ASEAN comprises Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia.
The poverty resolution recommends the establishment of a financial institution, instead of a bank, to provide financial assistance to the poor in the region.
Benny Pasaribu, chairman of the antipoverty committee at the AIPO meeting, said all delegations were of the opinion that poverty should be solved through regional and international cooperation.
He said the resolution was adopted after studying the Philippines' proposal on the establishment of a special bank to handle poverty in the region.
"We agreed to change the proposal of an ASEAN antipoverty bank into an ASEAN Anti-Poverty Fund (AAPF)," he said.
Benny, who is also chairman of House of Representatives Commission IX for economic affairs, said ASEAN members were each required to contribute US$10 million to establish the antipoverty fund.
The legislator said ASEAN expected additional financial assistance of some $250 million from Japan, South Korea, China, the European Union and international organizations to establish an ASEAN financial institution in Manila, the Philippines.