AIPO moves to fight illicit drugs, poverty
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.