ASEAN, Australia police to boost counter-terrorism cooperation
ASEAN, Australia police to boost counter-terrorism cooperation
Eva C. Komandjaja
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Police forces of member countries of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Australian Federal Police agreed to
share intelligence information and simplify bureaucratic
procedures in a bid to enhance efforts in combating terrorism.
At the conclusion of a two-day meeting here between top police
officers of ASEAN countries and Australia, National Police chief
Gen. Sutanto said that collaboration was needed to speed up the
response after countries suffered from terrorist attacks.
"It'd be such a pity if our efforts in combating terrorism
should face obstacles such as bureaucratic procedures or other
complicated regulations between countries.
"We need to be fast regardless of the jurisdiction of each
country so that police officers can communicate with their
(overseas) counterparts easily in the future," Sutanto said over
the weekend.
The meeting was attended by Brunei Darussalam Police
commissioner Zainuddin Bin Jalani, Singapore commissioner Khoo
Boon Hui, Philippines National Police director general Arturo C.
Lomibao, Cambodia Police deputy head Lieutenant General Sok Phai,
director of internal security and public order from the Royal
Malaysian Police Dato Othman bin Talib, Thailand police chief
Gen. Pateep Tanprasert and Australian Police commissioner Mick
Keelty.
The increased cooperation between the police forces could be a
good start to improve relations between ASEAN and Australia,
which have weakened during the past several years after Australia
supported the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Cooperation between the Indonesian and Australian police has
been strengthened after Australia sent its officers to help
Indonesia investigate the first bomb attacks in Bali in 2002,
which killed 202 people including 88 Australians.
In a relatively short time, some of the key perpetrators of
the terror attack were apprehended. The Australian police have
also helped Indonesia investigate the second Bali blast on Oct.
1, which killed 23 people including the three suicide bombers.
That help led to the successful raid on the hiding place of top
terrorist Azahari bin Husin in Batu, East Java on Nov. 9.
Sutanto said the region's top police officers vowed at the
meeting to start large counter-terrorism operations in their
countries as part of the global war against terrorists.
"This is precisely why all of us are together here; to show to
those who would be terrorists that we're committed regardless of
the differences in our cultures, laws and jurisdictions. We'll
work together to defeat them," Australian Police chief Mick
Keelty said.
Keelty and Sutanto on Friday signed a memorandum of
understanding on counter-terrorism cooperation. Sutanto also
signed a similar agreement with Philippines chief Arturo.
Sutanto said he would distribute tapes containing the
confessions of the three Bali suicide bombers to religious
leaders in the ASEAN countries so that they could help prevent
youths from committing terror acts.
The tapes were recovered by the police during a raid at a
hiding place in Semarang, Central Java, on Nov. 9.
That house was believed to be a refuge for another top
terrorist, Noordin M. Top.