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.