Goh happy about RI action on terrorism
Goh happy about RI action on terrorism
Agence France-Presse, Singapore
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in remarks published
on Monday he was "happy" Indonesia had begun cracking down on
terror suspects in the country and stressed the region needed to
work together to root out terrorist cells in Southeast Asia.
Now that Jakarta had formally detained a radical Muslim cleric
accused of links to terrorism and issued new anti-terror decrees,
it was vital that Southeast Asia pressed on with efforts "to rip
out the infrastructure of terrorism," the Straits Times newspaper
quoted Goh as saying.
"If we are able to disrupt the terrorist network and are seen
to be doing so, in the coming months... people will begin to have
confidence again."
Goh said security agencies in the region should go beyond
sharing intelligence and block the flow of funds to terrorists as
well as co-operate across borders to arrest fleeing suspects.
On the economic front, Southeast Asia must be seen working
together in areas such as boosting intra-regional trade and
promoting regional tourism in order to counter the impact on
airlines and the tourism industry, Goh said.
The 61-year-old premier said he was "happy" that Jakarta had
begun taking "tough action against terrorist suspects" although
"it's sad that it took a tragedy for them to move."
Indonesian authorities, under fire overseas for inaction
against extremists, have cracked down on terror suspects since
the devastating Bali bombing on Oct. 12.
Jakarta announced tough new anti-terrorism powers over the
weekend, including the death penalty to fight terrorism and
detention without trial.
Indonesian police also arrested radical Muslim cleric Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir, 64, in his hospital bed after naming him as a
suspect in a series of Christmas eve bombings in 2000.
Ba'asyir, an avowed admirer of Osama bin Laden, is not a
suspect in the Bali blast but for his alleged involvement with an
alleged al-Qaeda operative who was arrested in Indonesia and
later handed over to U.S. authorities.
Singapore and Malaysia also accuse Ba'asyir of terror links in
Southeast Asia through the Jamaah Islamiyah of which he is the
alleged spiritual leader.