ASEAN urges action plan on transnational crime

ASEAN urges action plan on transnational crime

MANILA (AFP): Interior ministers of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday called for the
convening of a high-level group of experts to forge an action
plan on transnational crime.

This is among the provisions in a declaration at the end of a
three-day ASEAN ministerial conference on international crime.

Philippine Interior Secretary Robert Barbers said the full
declaration would be released later but it included a provision
mandating the convening of the high-level group.

It also includes a provision for a feasibility study on the
establishment of an ASEAN center on transnational crime, he said.
Barbers said the meeting discussed measures for greater
cooperation between ASEAN members in curbing international crime.

"We shall henceforth, have a coordinated, synchronized and
more dynamic mechanism for coping with and combating
transnational crime."

He said "the rapid pace of globalization" had made the ASEAN
region open to such threats as "terrorism, illicit drug
trafficking, arms smuggling and money laundering," and warned
that ASEAN must act "as one family" to counter this.

Earlier yesterday Philippine President Fidel Ramos, in a
speech to the conference, said international crime should be seen
as a regional security issue.

"The concept of regional security should extend beyond the
mere absence of armed conflict among and within nations," Ramos
said. "Regional security continues to be assaulted by
transnational crimes and, from time to time, international
terrorism."

ASEAN deputy secretary Emmanuel Robert Inkiriwiang admitted
that they had no statistics on the extent of transnational crimes
within ASEAN but said this would likely be compiled by the
proposed high-level group.

Asked about allegations that Burma, a member of ASEAN, was not
doing enough to stop the export of banned drugs, Barbers said it
was discussed "only in passing" and would not elaborate.

Asked about the extent of the threat from terrorism, Barbers
said they were concerned about Moslem fundamentalist groups from
the Middle East and unspecified groups from Europe.

He cited the foiled plan by foreign Moslem fundamentalists in
1995 to assassinate Pope John Paul II during a visit to the
Philippines and to bomb foreign airlines.

ASEAN will hold another meeting on transnational crime in
Kuala Lumpur soon, Barbers said. The group links Brunei, Myanmar,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.