ASEAN to mull plans for antiterror pact in Brunei

ASEAN to mull plans for antiterror pact in Brunei

Eileen Ng, Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is pressing for an anti-terrorism pact which it signed with Indonesia and the Philippines to be expanded to cover all of Southeast Asia, an alleged hotbed for allies of Osama bin laden's al-Qaeda network.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said he would open the door for other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to accede to the pact at talks next week with his counterparts in Brunei.

But analysts say difficulty in agreeing on a definition of terrorism by the 10 member states, and a lack of financial resources, may hamper region-wide cooperation.

In a first step toward flushing terrorist groups out of the region, senior ASEAN members Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines -- which share common sea borders frequently used by pirates and criminals in evading pursuing troops -- sealed an anti-terror security pact in May.

The pact includes plans to trace and freeze terror funds and exchange information to curb cross-border crimes such as piracy, drug trafficking, illegal entry and illegal trafficking of women and children.

Syed Hamid said Thailand, Laos and Singapore had already expressed interest in joining the pact.

The arrests of dozens of suspected terrorists allegedly linked to al-Qaeda in Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines have revealed the existence of a regional Islamic militant group called the Jemaah Islamiyah, which also operates in Indonesia.

Mushahid Ali of the Singapore-based Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies said the trilateral pact was a useful first step forward.

"ASEAN, especially Indonesia, has to take on a more proactive role in monitoring the activities of terrorist groups and to establish a concrete mechanism among its agencies because this is a long-term battle," he said.

But Malaysian defense analyst Dzirhan Mahadzir said some poorer countries may be put off by financial constraints and a perception that the problem does not affect them directly.

National security issues and interstate rivalry may also see some members reluctant to divulge information, he said.

"An ASEAN pact is beneficial in the long-term but there will be a lot of jurisdictional issues to sort out before ASEAN can get its act together," he told AFP.

"They will also have to work out a definition of terrorism. It will not be much of an agreement if they cannot agree on who is the common enemy."

ASEAN security ministers at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in May failed to agree on a definition of the scourge, amid objections to Malaysia's proposal to include state terrorism.

But they agreed to deepen cooperation among their enforcement agencies and endorsed the use of detention without trial for suspected militants in Malaysia and Singapore.

Dzirhan questioned ASEAN's sincerity in mapping out a regional pact, saying the agreement among Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines "smacks more of gaining political mileage with the U.S. rather than real concern with terrorism."

"I am a bit sceptical. So far we haven't seen any progress since the pact was signed and things seem to be settling down to routine," he said.

"The problem with ASEAN is that it moves on consensus and this is bound to slow down the grouping in coming up with a formalized security structure in the war against terror."

At the Brunei meeting from July 28 to Aug. 1, ASEAN and its major western trading partners are expected to call for moves to freeze terror funds and stronger cooperation to fight terrorism, officials say.