ASEAN solidarity remains sound amid terrorism issue

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Different approaches to fighting terrorism would not undermine ASEAN solidarity, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Thursday.

Indonesians might be arrested in neighboring countries as part of the crackdown on terror, but there was no cause for alarm as long as suspects were given their proper legal rights, Hassan said.

Playing down concerns about a series of recent arrests of Indonesian citizens in ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries, Hassan said efforts to maintain security should not be seen as attempts by one country to disgrace another.

"Should they arrest our citizens with a strong legal case that they violated certain regulations, it is simply because it is necessary for the countries to maintain their security. They never intended to hurt our reputation," Hassan told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"Personal relations among ASEAN leaders are really close and we are cooperating in fighting terrorism. The ties remain solid."

Last week police in the Philippines arrested three Indonesians, Agus Dwikarna, Tamsil Linrung and Abdul Jamal Balfas, who will be charged with possession of materials to make a bomb and immigration violations.

Philippine authorities in January arrested another Indonesian, Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, for the alleged possession of explosives.

Tensions flared between Indonesia and Singapore last month after the city-state's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew accused Indonesia of being a safe harbor for terrorists.

In response to international demands that Indonesia do more to fight terrorism, the Government has insisted since the September 11 terrorist attacks that it takes the problem seriously.

Security officials here have said there was no evidence to support claims from overseas that the terrorist network al-Qaeda has active cells in Indonesia.

Hassan said he believed the arrests of Indonesian nationals were not made arbitrarily and would not disrupt relations with the countries involved.

He said he was pleased that the legal processes for the detained Indonesians had been conducted transparently, and the Government had been able to follow their cases.

The minister brushed aside any suggestion that other nations might try to take advantage of high-profile terror arrests.

There has been a speculation that the Philippines, which is busy handling Muslim rebels, and Singapore and Malaysia, where radical Islamic groups are also active, are seeking to advance their own national interests by taking a tough stance on suspected terrorists.

"Every country sets its own national interests, but there must be certain conditions and bases for those objectives, which cannot be pursued by capturing our citizens. We respect them as long as they can provide solid reasons for making the arrests," he said.