Mega's antiterror tour

President Megawati Soekarnoputri does indeed have reason to be satisfied with the result of her five-day tour to Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore -- she has won the strong backing of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in her government's war against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Both Thaksin and Mahathir assured the President that they would crack down on arms smuggling from their respective countries to the westernmost Indonesian province, and that Malaysia would take harsh actions against any Acehnese refugees entering that country illegally. The two countries are major sources of arms procured by the rebels, due to their proximity to Aceh. Now, more then before, the two countries realize the urgency of curbing the arms smuggling activities, not only for the sake of their relations with their giant neighbor, Indonesia, but also because the level of illegal arms trading in the region is quite alarming.

The agreement was part of their larger discussion designed to eradicate the roots of international terrorism from the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will again become the focus of the ASEAN annual summit in Bali, next month.

Megawati's two hosts must have felt encouraged by Megawati's determination to clamp down on terrorists, because Indonesia, internationally, is regarded as the most vulnerable target of terrorism in the region, among others due to the sheer size of the country, rampant corruption and poor law enforcement. Last year's Bali bombing and last month's bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel proved that Indonesia has become not only a fertile breeding ground for international terrorists, but has also become a major target for acts of terrorism.

For a long time Indonesian officials and Indonesian society have tended to play down the terrorist threat because they believe -- or pretend to believe -- that their country is safe and most of the people are religious and would therefore not commit any evil acts. What is even more ridiculous is their claim in the past that the terrorist issue was being used by western countries to malign Indonesia.

When 202 people were killed in the Bali bombing in October last year, many Indonesians had yet to realize the real danger of terrorism here, and some pointed the finger at foreign elements who they claimed do not want to see a strong Indonesia. Only when the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta was bombed last month did people find it no longer possible to find a pretext for denials.

But the Thai and Malaysian leaders are wrong if they believe that Indonesia is the most responsible party for the rise of terrorism in the region. There is a strong feeling here that Malaysia tends to blame Indonesia because most of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders come from Indonesia and most of the alleged terrorists in that country are Indonesians.

Malaysia so far is still free of terrorist attacks, due to the relatively strong law enforcement, strong economic growth and clean governance. Meanwhile Thaksin's government also tries to play down the terrorist threat because it fears a panic reaction in its tourism industry, a major source of revenue for the country. The recent arrest of JI leader Hambali in Thailand, however, shows that Thailand can no longer underestimate the danger of terrorism.

Despite the strong reluctance of its leaders to admit it in public, Indonesia, along with Malaysia, Thailand and also the Philippines, has been a fertile breeding ground for terrorists. So there is no other solution for them but to intensify their joint antiterrorism war.

We hope that Malaysia and Thailand will soon give concrete evidence of the sincerity of their promise to stop arms smuggling to the Acehnese rebels. However, many of the weapons that are used by the rebels are also registered weapons of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police. In the meantime, it is understandable that the international community places much hope in the seriousness of Megawati's government in eradicating the roots of terrorism here.

The result of the President's tour is quite encouraging, although we do regret her insensitive decision to stay for two days in Singapore for a medical check up and some time out.