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