RI, Thailand step up anti-terrorism drive
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia and Thailand stepped up their campaign against terrorism on Thursday, agreeing to share intelligence information in order to rid the region of criminal activity and terrorism.
"One of the important issues we discussed included intelligence cooperation to counter terrorism," President Megawati Soekarnoputri said in a joint press conference with visiting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Merdeka Palace on Thursday.
"We are trying to solidify the anti-terrorism movement among ASEAN countries including Thailand and Indonesia," Megawati added.
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- signed in November 2001 an agreement to work together to stamp out cross- border terrorism.
Malaysia and Singapore have recently arrested several people for alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities, most of whom are believed to have been trained in al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said this month that international Muslim extremists could link up with Islamic militants fighting Christians in Poso, Central Sulawesi and Ambon in Maluku.
Indonesian officials, however, have denied any existence of international terrorist groups in Indonesia, insisting that no evidence has been found so far that the al-Qaeda network, blamed by the United States for the Sept. 11 attacks there, is operating in Indonesia.
Megawati said during the press conference that ASEAN members should exert concerted efforts in fighting against terrorism in the region.
"In fighting terrorism, we will continue making efforts so that this matter can be strengthened among members of ASEAN," she said.
Prime Minister Thaksin, meanwhile, said that Indonesia and Thailand have achieved the purpose of "reaffirming our strategic alliance in the South East Asian region."
Commenting on the anti-terrorism cooperation, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said Indonesia was still processing an anti-terrorism law, while the agreement was reached last year in Bangkok, where both countries agreed to combat weapons smuggling.
Last year, Thaksin assured President Megawati that Thailand would not allow the use of its soil as a base for terrorist groups that would threaten the security of neighboring countries.
Thaksin's comments came after a report surfaced that rebels in Aceh were using Southern Thailand as a base for weapons smuggling.
Thaksin arrived here on Thursday for a two-day state visit aimed at bolstering bilateral ties, especially in the field of trade and information.
His entourage includes deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Somkid Satusripitak, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharamik, Minister of Industry Suriya Jungrungreangkit and the deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Prapat Panyachatirak.
On Friday, Thaksin is scheduled to meet with People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung before he flies back to Thailand in the afternoon.
Megawati said she and Thaksin also discussed sea boundaries, especially the need for the borders of the exclusive economic zones to be clearly defined.
"In order to halt smuggling activities, establishing a clear sea border was also stressed in the meeting," Megawati said.
Indonesian authorities have arrested scores of Thai fisherman in the past year for illegal fishing.
Prime Minister Thaksin suggested that ministers from both countries "meet each other more often and even discuss the issues on the phone so that we can get things done faster with a sincerity on both sides."
Trade and Industry Minister Rini Soewandi said that Thaksin called for intensified trade relations in the rubber industry as the two countries are major rubber producers.
"There are many things (in the trade relations) that must be fixed in order to raise the international rubber price," Rini told reporters.
Indonesian, Thai and Malay authorities met in Bali in December of last year and signed an agreement to cut output by four percent and exports by 10 percent in an effort to increase ailing rubber prices.
In the meeting, Thailand also expressed its interest in participating in the establishment of a coal-generated electricity plant as they had a majority stake in six coal mines in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a culture, education and information agreement by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda and his Thai counterpart Surakiart Sathirathai.