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.