ASEAN okays laws to fight terrorism

ASEAN okays laws to fight terrorism

Eileen Ng, Agence France Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Southeast Asian security ministers on Tuesday endorsed the use of
preventive laws to fight terrorism despite failing to agree on a
definition of the scourge.

In a joint communique issued at the end of a two-day meeting
on terrorism, interior ministers of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) said they "unequivocally condemn" acts of
terror and underscored the "urgency for a cohesive and united
approach."

In an endorsement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) used by
Malaysia and Singapore to detain without trial dozens of local
militants, they upheld the right of individual ASEAN countries to
"continue pursuing practical preventive measures" to address root
causes of terrorism.

"What has emerged from this meeting is a stronger commitment
now, a realization that there are a lot of things we can do
together," Malaysian Deputy Premier and Home Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi told reporters.

Abdullah, who chaired the talks, said the meeting had taken
"many steps forward."

He said ministers discussed a Malaysian proposal for an ASEAN
definition of terrorism to boost enforcement in the region but
were hampered by "practical difficulties."

He said a specific definition could make it cumbersome for
some countries to act against new forms of terrorism in the
future.

"We don't want to get into that kind of complication, having
had a definition then our hands are tied... the absence of a
definition at this time is not an obstacle to ASEAN cooperation
to combat terrorism."

Abdullah described transnational crime such as drug
trafficking, gun smuggling and money laundering as the "twin
brother" of terrorism, and said ministers pledged to give urgency
to battle cross-boundary crimes.

Malaysia has detained without trial 62 alleged Islamic
extremists while Singapore has arrested 13 under its own ISA in
the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Asked why those detained were not charged in an open court,
Abdullah said: "If we want, we can, but we are considering other
issues related to the importance of maintaining some secrecy."

He said police investigations would continue into the
Malaysian Militant Group, which has been linked to other
movements in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In their communique, ASEAN ministers lauded a trilateral pact
signed May 7 in Kuala Lumpur among Malaysia, Indonesia and the
Philippines to combat terrorism but stopped short of mapping out
a regional pact.

They "strongly emphasized that terrorism must not be
identified with any religion, race, culture or nationality."

"We reaffirm our commitment and support to undertake the fight
against acts of terrorism committed wherever, whenever and by
whomsoever without discrimination," they said.

They entrusted senior officials to execute a plan of action on
terrorism, including developing legal arrangements to "facilitate
apprehension, investigation, prosecution, extradition, inquiry
and seizure."

The plan also involves developing regional training programs,
and improved coordination in law enforcement and intelligence
sharing.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.