ASEAN members should have extradition pact

ASEAN members should have extradition pact

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia urged other members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday to adopt extradition
agreements to help control trans-national crime in the region.

When opening the 15th ASEAN Police (ASEANAPOL) conference,
Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung stressed that
it was urgent for all six member countries to have the
agreements.

"I wish to call the attention of ASEANAPOL members to the
importance of making arrangements for immediate extradition
agreements," Feisal said.

The agreements, he said, would be in line with the joint
communique on the extradition and handing over of criminals and
fugitives in last year's conference in Thailand.

So far, Indonesia has extradition agreements with Malaysia,
Thailand, the Philippines and Australia.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the
Philippines and Brunei.

The annual four-day conference has brought together ASEAN's
police chiefs to discuss common policies and strategies to combat
crime in one of the world's fastest growing regions.

Vietnam, which is scheduled to join ASEAN this year, has sent
observers to the conference.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Police Chief Gen. Banurusman
Astrosemitro said that extradition is not on the top of the
agenda of this year's conference.

Issues related to extradition arrangements had been discussed
in last year's gathering in the Thai city of Phuket last year, he
said.

"Furthermore, extradition should be tackled with other
ministries, such as the ministry of foreign affairs and the
ministry of justice," he said.

High on the agenda are illicit drug trafficking, fraudulent
travel documents, mutual assistance in criminal matters,
commercial crime, product counterfeiting and piracy.

Piracy

Feisal said ASEAN should pay serious attention to organized
crime in the region and exchange information to facilitate
investigations.

"This exchange of information will be a great advantage to
those combating smuggling and international white-collar crime,"
he added.

Indonesia also suggested that ASEANAPOL step up the fight
against the piracy of intellectual property rights, ship piracy
and phantom ship fraud.

According to Feisal, one of ASEANAPOL's biggest jobs is to
ensure political, economic, cultural stability while securing
economic growth in the region.

ASEANAPOL was established in 1980 in Manila, where the first
conference was held a year later. (29/pan)