ASEAN attorney generals set for cooperation
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney generals from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will sign a landmark cooperation agreement on crime fighting this week.
Indonesia's Attorney General Singgih said on Saturday that he and his five ASEAN counterparts will issue a "Jakarta Consensus" during their two-day meeting here which begins today.
Singgih told reporters that ASEAN has already forged strong cooperation in the economic, trade and cultural fields, but not in law enforcement.
The consensus calls on the attorney generals of the ASEAN countries to maintain close contacts among themselves, so that they can resolve problems and misunderstandings that could arise regarding law enforcement matters.
This will be the first formal meeting between ASEAN attorney generals. Previously, their meetings were informal in nature.
The consensus is scheduled to be signed at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta tomorrow.
There have been a series of misunderstandings among ASEAN countries regarding law enforcement in each member country because each has a different legal system. These misunderstanding have often created friction among the six member countries.
One instance of friction nearly flared into a full diplomatic row in March when Singapore hanged Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina maid working in the island nation, despite last minute requests from Manila for a stay of execution.
Indonesia has also had a series of complaints against Kuala Lumpur over the lack of legal protection for Indonesians who were prosecuted for crimes committed in Malaysia. Many of them have been sentenced to death and executed.
Singgih traveled to Kuala Lumpur last month to discuss the fate of Indonesians who were jailed in Malaysia, including those on death row, with his Malaysian counterpart.
On Saturday, Singgih declined to give full details of the consensus, but stressed that it will be binding for all members.
ASEAN attorney generals "will exchange information on crimes and protect their citizens abroad without in any way decreasing the sovereignty and the integrity of the laws of the other countries," he said.
He was speaking after leading a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Attorney General's Office.
Among the VIPs attending the ceremony was Vietnam's deputy attorney general Pham Sy Chien. Pham will be taking part in the ASEAN attorney generals meeting as an observer. Vietnam will formally join the regional grouping later this month.
The other ASEAN countries are sending their number one prosecutors. They are Pengiran Haji Bahrin bin Haji Abas (Brunei), Datuk Mochtar Abdullah (Malaysia), Raul I Goco (the Philippines), Chang Sek Keong (Singapore) and Kanit Nanakorn (Thailand).
The attorney generals will meet with President Soeharto on Monday at the State Palace.
Singgih said on Saturday that as more and more Indonesians are traveling abroad or doing business with companies abroad, some of them may encounter legal problems in the country they are visiting and in their business relations.
The cooperation agreement between ASEAN attorney generals, he said, could help avoid misunderstandings in the future. (03)