ASEAN solidarity remains sound amid terrorism issue

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.