Howard meets Mega at APEC, offering aid to fight terrorism

Howard meets Mega at APEC, offering aid to fight terrorism

Agencies

Australian Prime Minister John Howard offered Indonesia on
Friday A$10 million (US$5.5 million) to fill gaps in its
antiterror net, two weeks after scores of his compatriots were
among more than 180 people killed in a Bali bomb attack. Howard
said he had offered the money in a meeting with President
Megawati Soekarnoputri on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific
Cooperation (APEC) forum summit at a heavily guarded Mexican
beach resort.

Howard said he thanked Megawati for cooperating in a joint
Australia-Indonesia police investigation to track down the
bombers. "It was also an opportunity for me to offer to her an
amount of $10 million to assist in boosting the antiterrorist
infrastructure in Indonesia," he told a news conference.

Howard said the funds would be used to spur antiterrorist
surveillance and security at airports and customs services. "I
believe Indonesia needs assistance in this area," he said.

Australia also plans to give aid to Bali, most likely to
improve health services there.

"I offered Australia's help in whatever ways were appropriate
and possible. I have no doubt that a similar message will be
conveyed to President Megawati at this meeting."

Megawati is trying to convince the world that she is taking
stringent action against extremists. Six days after the attack,
Megawati issued emergency regulations authorizing the death
sentence for some acts of terror, allowing for suspects to be
held for up to six months without trial and intelligence
information to be used as prima facie evidence after being
approved by a court.

But countries around the world, from Australia to Japan,
Britain and the United States, are warning their citizens to
steer clear of Indonesia country for fear of further
atrocities.

Megawati asked how long Australia would keep the warning in
force, Howard said. "I said it would remain for as long as we
held concerns about the safety of Australians, and also that I
knew that the outrage in Bali and the inevitable effects on
tourists and tourism the travel advisory would have. I knew that
would be damaging to her economy. I made the point that that was
the intention of the terrorists and it was an unavoidable
consequence."

Howard said Australia had concerns about other areas in Asia,
including in the popular Thai resort of Phuket, not because of
any intelligence information but because it fits the profile of a
likely target for terrorists. He urged Australians to reconsider
any plan to visit Phuket. Howard said he was pleased that
Indonesia was making some progress in identifying the remains of
the Bali bomb victims, allowing the bodies to be repatriated.

"So many bodies were so badly burned there will still be some
very significant identification difficulties with a number, and
that means that for some families the process is still going to
be quite protracted."

Australian police have joined Indonesian police in a task
force to track down those behind the Oct. 12 blast, in which 94
Australians were killed or presumed dead, the spokesman said.

President George W. Bush will meet with Megawati separately on
Saturday.

The Indonesian leader will be trying to convince the world
that she is fighting extremists and is expected to seek financial
support and ask those countries whose citizens make up the bulk
of visitors to Indonesia to lift their warnings against travel to
the country.