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.