ASEAN and terrorism

ASEAN and terrorism

ASEAN Foreign Ministers in their informal meeting last week in
Phuket, Thailand stressed the importance of working together to
combat terrorism. Efforts to fight terrorism raise complicated
issues which can only be dealt with jointly.

The Phuket meeting itself was specifically designed to respond
to strong reactions from the world community to the phenomenon of
regional terrorism in Southeast Asian countries. Badly needed in
this regard are an awareness of, a commitment to and cooperation
in facing terrorism, which is sure to become a major threat to
stability in the future.

The ASEAN governments and communities themselves actually wish
to crush the terrorist networks in the region. However, as ASEAN
countries are not yet familiar with the culture of terrorism, it
is not easy for them to identify terrorists.

They were taken by surprise when the international media
produced ongoing reports that the Philippines, Malaysia and
Indonesia were part of the network of international terrorist
organizations.

One gets the impression that the outside world knows more
about terrorist movements in the region than the Southeast Asian
nations themselves. Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew's
controversial statement about terrorists in Indonesia was
allegedly influenced by international media and intelligence
reports.

Continuous reports on the danger of terrorism in Southeast
Asia are sure to tarnish the image of ASEAN countries. It is
feared that tourists and investors will become reluctant to visit
ASEAN countries. The impact of news stories at the economic level
is keenly felt.

It is even more important, in fact, to convey the reality of
the situation to all parties concerned. It is clarification that
is most needed and not an arbitrary or defensive attitude. In
this way, the issue of terrorism in the Southeast Asian region
will no longer be caught in a limbo between presumptions and
facts.

--Kompas, Jakarta