RI wants cooperation in ASEAN law enforcement
RI wants cooperation in ASEAN law enforcement
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia wants the ASEAN members to cooperate in
matters of law enforcement, a top official said yesterday.
Attorney General Singgih made the announcement moments after
he accompanied his counterparts from member countries of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a courtesy call
to President Soeharto at the Bina Graha presidential office.
The ASEAN attorney generals started their two-day meeting
yesterday to discuss a draft agreement on joint crime fighting.
The draft, called the Jakarta Consensus, is scheduled to be
signed today at the ASEAN Secretariat, Singgih said.
He reported the President's suggestion that ASEAN should
foster closer ties to fight crime in the region through
information exchanges and consultations, while maintaining
respect for the legal systems of each member country.
The attorney generals visiting the head of state yesterday
were Pengiran Haji Bahrin bin Haji Abas of Brunei, Datuk Mochtar
Abdullah of Malaysia, Raul I Goco of the Philippines, Chang Sek
Keong of Singapore, and Kanit Nanakorn of Thailand.
The Jakarta Consensus is expected to be a binding agreement,
by which the ASEAN attorney generals can solve the problems
without undermining the sovereignty and laws of each country.
It is also expected to facilitate communications and an
understanding of each country's legal system.
Earlier this year, relations between Singapore and the
Philippines were strained following the hanging of a Filipino
maid, Flor Contemplacion, who was found guilty of a double murder
by a Singaporean court.
Singgih declined to comment when asked if the relationship
between the Philippines and Singapore would also be discussed at
the meeting.
Singapore's Attorney General Chan Sek Keong told The Jakarta
Post that he expected the Jakarta Consensus "to be completed
satisfactorily and accepted by all parties", when asked about his
impression of the meeting.
"The beautiful thing about the attorney general meeting is
that we have come up, basically, (with) one part of facilitating
communication directly between and among attorney generals",
Philippines Raoul I Goco said.(03)