ASEAN people give cool reception to war against terrorism

ASEAN people give cool reception to war against terrorism

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali

A few weeks ahead of the commemoration of the Sept. 11 tragedy,
the United States has not gained wholehearted support of the
Southeast Asian people for its global war against terrorism.

Participants of the ongoing ASEAN People's Assembly have
expressed concerns that the U.S-led crackdown on terrorism has
continued to be used by the country to garner support for its
unilateral actions and by other governments to oppress their own
citizens.

Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a Thailand member of Parliament, said
after Sept. 11 it has been easier for powerful regimes to exploit
the issue of terrorism for their own interests. Israel, for
instance, uses the issue to destroy the Palestinian people, and
Russia can now more easily justify its policy against Chechnya.

China and Indonesia are no exception, he said.

"Indonesia uses the terrorism issue to exert pressure on the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM)," he said, referring to the separatist
rebel group who have been struggling for independence since 1976.

Paribatra was speaking in the first panel discussion at the
second ASEAN People's Assembly here on Friday night.

He said ASEAN members, including the Philippine and Indonesian
governments, had begun to cooperate more closely with the U.S. on
a bilateral level a few months after the attacks which were
blamed on the extremist group al-Qaeda led by Saudi Arabian-born
businessman Osama bin Laden.

"We should not tie ourselves to a U.S. policy that may be
dangerous to the region," Paribatra said.

Criticism has been raised against the U.S. military exercises
in the Philippines, which included the direct involvement in
fighting Muslim rebels under Abu Sayyaf.

Paribatra suggested that ASEAN countries eventually extend
their collaboration among member governments in combating
terrorism, which includes a more systematic region-wide data and
intelligence sharing; provision of money and military hardware;
and preparations for joint law enforcement or and when necessary,
joint military operations.

But even this enhanced cooperation will not be sufficient, as
"the region's structural vulnerabilities" remain unsettled,
Paribatra said.

Describing the vulnerability, he cited Southeast Asia's great
diversity of races and ethnic groups. The region is also a point
of convergence for three of history's greatest civilizations and
belief systems.

But Southeast Asia is also home to a number of alleged
terrorist groups. A number of them are reportedly involved in
separatist struggles, which complicates the problem.

"Terrorism has always been linked to Islam and here in the
region, Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country. The
Sept. 11 tragedy has made Islam a center of attention and
suspicion," he said.

Since the mid l960s, Indonesia has been a strong pillar of
regional cooperation.

"Islam has been an integral part of the region's peace and
progress. Therefore the threat of radical Islam should not be
exaggerated, and it must be stressed that the region's Muslims
are peaceful and wish to live in peace among themselves and with
others," Paribatra said.