ASEAN agrees to boost cooperation on terrorism

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged on Wednesday to boost cooperation in combating terrorism including sharing resources after an attack and setting up task forces.

They, however, shied away from endorsing a proposal by host country Indonesia to extradite terrorist suspects or witnesses for trial purposes in a member country.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that each ASEAN country would establish a task force dedicated to increasing regional coordination.

"This is stronger than any cooperation we have had so far," Da'i said, adding the network would become operational by June.

"In the event of a terrorist attack the affected country can request assistance from other ASEAN countries," Da'i said at the end of a three-day workshop of police from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Such assistance would include identifying, pursuing and apprehending suspects, examining witnesses, searching and seizing evidence, evacuating and treating victims along with providing forensic expertise, Da'i said.

They also agreed to submit to the upcoming third annual Senior Official Meeting on Transnational Crimes (SOMTC) in Hanoi in June Indonesia's proposal to make terrorist acts extraditable offenses.

Indonesia, reeling from the deadly Bali bombing on Oct. 12, had sought for the extradition of terrorist suspects and witnesses currently detained in Singapore and Malaysia.

Malaysian police chief Norian Mai was quoted as saying on Tuesday that they had agreed with Indonesia to form a special force to track down members of the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network blamed for the Bali bomb attack.

"The antiterrorist meeting held in Jakarta had decided to forge greater cooperation in sharing information and form a special force in tracking down terrorists, particularly JI members who are still at large," he said.

The special force would comprise Malaysian and Indonesian police personnel who would focus primarily on hunting down JI members involved in the Bali bombing, he said.

Indonesian police have arrested 30 people over the bombing, which killed nearly 200 people, most of them western tourists, last October.

They are still searching for 10 suspects, including three Malaysians.

Norian said the detention of some 80 suspected militants belonging to JI and its local affiliate the Malaysian Militant Group (KMM) over the past 18 months had contained the threat of terrorism in Malaysia.

Police have a list of those involved in KMM and with the help of neighboring countries, could eliminate their presence in Malaysia, he said.

Police were also focusing on capturing JI members trying to escape from Malaysian and other security forces in the region.

"I am confident continued action in tracking down members of the JI group can reduce the threat not only from this militant group but other international militant groups too," Norian said.

JI aims to create a pan-Islamic state encompassing Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and southern Philippines.