Armies launch ASEAN offensive
Armies launch ASEAN offensive
Just a week after the leaders of ASEAN waffled over concrete steps against terrorism, the region's top army commanders showed more unity and efficiency. All 10 of the generals met in Manila, for only the second time in ASEAN's history.
The remarkable feature of this military co-operation is that -- so far, at least the men in green are not asking for either special powers nor baskets of money. Nor does the plan seem likely to obstruct honest citizens or tourists. Rather, the military men have taken practical steps that could make the region safer, without restricting civil liberties or the mood towards expanding freedoms.
The regional militaries will work together to gather, collate, share and act upon terrorist information. They will form a limitless network of bilateral and multilateral groups.
Nothing but hard work lies ahead. If their plans are successful, citizens of ASEAN will never know it. The plan is to discover, root out and trample terrorists and their cells before they threaten anyone. The ASEAN armies have the ability to prevent cross-border operations by extremists.
The generals say they have the will. This is the important part. Terrorists and other dangerous groups drug traffickers, bandits, kidnappers have exploited international borders.
The generals will begin with table-top simulations of possible terrorist attacks. There are no shortage of possibilities, from mass murders by Abu Sayyaf and the New People's Army of the Philippines, to bombers in Jakarta, to mass killings of villagers by Burmese drug dealers.
The idea of such war games is to evaluate the speed and efficiency of information, as much as testing responses. Once a terrorist attack is under way, the army can only respond, usually in the role of disaster relief. This new program will put intelligence gathering and response times to the test as details emerge of the terrorists' plans before a catastrophe.
The plans for ASEAN military action will, and should, bring contact outside the region. Adm. Dennis Blair, the U.S. Pacific commander, said last week his country would like to sit in on any anti-terrorist planning.
No single action or group is going to end extremism or violence. But the 10 ASEAN army chiefs should have full support as they start a serious campaign to make life tough for drug traffickers, international criminals and terrorists.
-- Bangkok Post