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)