Australia backs regional task force

Australia backs regional task force

AUSTRALIA: Australia will support the creation of a regional antiterrorism task force in Southeast Asia, Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said on Monday.

The idea is expected to be discussed at a meeting of police chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta this week, Australian media reported.

While Australia is not a member of ASEAN, its police work closely with their counterparts in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and Keelty has been invited to the Jakarta conference.

"It's up to the Indonesians and the other ASEAN police chiefs as to what initiatives they want to bring forward and what they finally agree to -- I wouldn't want to second guess them," Keelty told national radio.

"But we would support a team being put together to look at, particularly, the areas where there's cross-border movement of people who are suspected terrorists, who have been under investigation by our joint teams in Indonesia and our joint teams in the Philippines.

"Something like a joint effort or a collaborative effort would be a good outcome."

Keelty said such a project would build on existing arrangements, such as the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation, which already involves Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. --AFP