America redefines role in SE Asia

America redefines role in SE Asia

Don Pathan, The Nation, Asia News Network, Bangkok

If the recent gathering in Bangkok of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) senior officials is any indication, Southeast Asia's defense planners have opted for a wait-and-see approach as to what to make out of the presence of American troops in the region.

And as the ARF officials brainstormed, some 2,700 American troops were landing on the shore of southern Philippines for a major military exercise with nearly 3,000 Philippine troops -- not counting the 660 American troops who had arrived in the Southern Philippines last January to teach the troops there how to fight the Abu Sayyaf, a group of self-proclaimed Muslim holy warriors who make their millions by kidnapping people in return for ransom money.

Local protestors have made it clear they are not too thrilled about the idea of having American GIs wandering around the southern Philippines where members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf and government troops have been going at it for years.

Officially, the exercise that begun on Sunday was supposed to help the Philippines improve its national defenses and enhance its capacity to take part in UN peacekeeping missions.

No one can say for sure -- at least for the time being -- what Uncle Sam has up his sleeve. But what is clear is that the region's security planners are taking a watchful approach with regard to what the future holds for the U.S.-Southeast Asia relations.

Before the September attacks against the U.S., the region was pretty much off the U.S. radar screen. But within months of the incident, three Southeast Asian leaders, including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, paid visits to Washington.

The ongoing high-profile military exercise between American troops and Philippine soldiers, said a leading Thai security expert, is part of a trend that emerged in the aftermath of the attacks against the U.S..

Since the closing of Clark Airforce base and Subic Bay in the Philippines in 1992, the U.S. has had no permanent military base in Southeast Asia. Some officials have toyed with the idea of a floating dock, but the proposal didn't make much headway. For the time being, the Pentagon has been using Singapore as a logistical hub for warships, mainly for warships moving from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf.

For one thing, the radical groups -- be it the Abu Sayyaf or the Jamaal Islamia (JI) -- were around before the Sept. 11 attacks. They may kidnap people and cut off their heads, or plant bombs at public and government buildings and so on, but their scope has always been their own backyard.

But following Sept. 11, the benchmark that justifies the extent of American involvement has shifted dramatically. Sending hundreds of GIs to help sniff out Abu Sayyaf members, says Panitan, is deemed a preventive measure.

For decades, America has been the number one enemy that unites all of the world's Muslim radicals.

Today, it appears the tables have been turned. America has decided to take the fight to the radicals' doorstep in its fight against global terrorism. How far this will go remains to be seen. For the time being, Southeast Asia is keeping its fingers crossed in the hope that public opinion will not turn against them before the Americans complete their mission.