ASEAN, EU are to discuss fighting 'terrorism at sea'
ASEAN, EU are to discuss fighting 'terrorism at sea'
Agence France-Presse, Manila
More than 100 maritime security experts and diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and European Union met here to discuss curbing "terrorism at sea" or piracy, the foreign office said Monday.
According to statistics released during Sunday's conference, there were 471 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2000.
Nearly half occurred in the busy sea lanes of Southeast Asia, the Malacca Strait and Indian Ocean. Pirates also became more deadly with 72 crewmembers killed, 129 wounded and five others missing.
"The security environment that has emerged from the rubble of the September 11th incident introduces new perspectives," Philippine Foreign Minister Teofisto Guingona said of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
"(This) necessitates fresh approaches ... to the problems posed by international maritime terrorism, which includes piracy," he added in a speech.
Guingona noted that piracy evolved in the Philippines at the turn of the last century, when Filipino Muslim seafarers fought to ward off western colonizers.
The "modern-day version" however carries "political undertones although employing traditional ways, including kidnapping for ransom," he said.
"It is sometimes linked to the secessionist aspirations of some elements in society, or simply Muslim militancy," Guingona said.
He was apparently referring to the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang in the southern Philippines that abducted dozens of foreign hostages in two cross border raids on Malaysian resorts in 2000.
The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of self-styled Islamic fighters linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. It is the target of massive joint U.S.-Philippine exercises in the south of the country.
Guingona urged stronger international cooperation against piracy beyond intelligence exchange and border patrols.
He said countries concerned should create legislation that would punish pirates as well as strike a regional agreement defining piracy and armed robbery.