Philippines urges stronger antiterror ties with Manado

Jongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado, North Sulawesi

The Philippines' foreign minister, Blas F. Ople, called for more cooperation between North Sulawesi and Mindanao in the southern Philippines in the fight against terror, warning that terrorist groups like Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) posed a threat to both regions.

Ople, who was visiting the North Sulawesi capital Manado, said on Saturday his trip was to discuss with the local government the need to increase cooperation to fight terrorism.

North Sulawesi, he said, was a vital trade link between the Philippines and Indonesia, making it that much more important for the province and Mindanao to work together in fighting terrorist threats.

The Philippines is trying to deal with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on its main southern island of Mindanao. The MILF has been blamed for a number of terrorist acts in their war for independence.

Last January, Singapore released a report in which it said the MILF was suspected of helping to train militants from JI.

JI is the group thought to be responsible for last year's Bali bombing which killed at least 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.

"We must work together to curb terror actions so that our economic and trade affairs are not disturbed," Ople said.

The Filipino foreign minister was in Manado for a three-day visit which ended on Saturday.

Ople flew to Manado from Jakarta after attending the regional ministerial conference on people smuggling and transnational crime in Bali. Thirty-nine ministers from the Asia Pacific attended the two-day meeting, which ended on April 30.

In Manado, Ople was accompanied by Ambassador Rafael E. Seguise of the Philippines and North Sulawesi Governor Freddy H. Sualang.

Ople said the 39 ministers from the Asia Pacific who attended the meeting in Bali agreed that JI was a major threat to the region.

The foreign minister also praised Indonesia's efforts to crack down on terrorists, saying the Philippines government appreciated the progress made against terrorism by the Indonesian government.

North Sulawesi has been spared from any major terrorist attack, but parts of the vast but thinly populated Sulawesi island are believed to be home to terrorist training camps.

There is also suspicion that foreign terrorists have entered the island to provide instruction at the camps.

Last January, police found military-style camps north of the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar. Police suspected the camps belonged to the terrorists responsible for the bombing of an McDonald's outlet in Makassar in December last year. Three people died in the bombing.

One of the 18 suspects arrested after the attack told police of the camps and said he believed the camp instructors came from the Philippines and Afghanistan.