RP calls for regional conference on terror to form a united front
RP calls for regional conference on terror to form a united front
Mynardo Macaraig, Agence France-Presse, Manila
The Philippines on Monday offered to host a regional conference
on terrorism to strengthen a united front after a deadly bomb
attack in Bali, President Gloria Arroyo's top security officials
said.
The forum is to include representatives from all Southeast
Asian countries, the United States, Australia, Japan and other
"countries in the periphery," National Security Adviser Roilo
Golez said after a closed-door meeting with Arroyo, cabinet
officials and congressional leaders.
"We will discuss how we can combine our efforts in the fight
against terrorism, recognizing that the fight against terrorism
is not a fight by a single country but a collective effort by all
countries," Golez said.
Arroyo wants to have the conference "as quickly as possible
and I think the timing's perfect right now, because everybody's
concerned about this Bali incident."
While no suspects have yet emerged in the bombings, the
Philippines realized that "there might be some threats to the
region with respect to some international terrorist
organizations," he added.
Security here has been stepped up to thwart possible attacks
in the wake of Saturday's attack in Bali that left more than 180
people dead and wounded hundreds more.
Military and police intelligence have focused attention on the
movements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the
smaller Moro militia Abu Sayyaf, officials said.
Hostilities involving the two groups broke out over the
weekend in separate areas in the southern Philippines, leaving at
least 11 Marines and 36 Abu Sayyaf and MILF rebels dead.
The U.S. and Philippine governments have linked the Abu Sayyaf
to the al-Qaeda terror network while the MILF is the country's
main Muslim insurgent group, waging a rebellion here since 1978.
Both groups have been blamed by the military for bomb attacks
in the southern cities of Zamboanga and Kidapawan this month.
A U.S. soldier and three Filipinos were killed in an Oct. 2
attack and at least six people died in Kidawapan last week.
"The president gave general instructions to the national
police and the military (to go on) alert status in view of what
happened in Indonesia," Golez said.
He noted that while there had been "no specific threat" of
similar bomb blasts in the Philippines, "we cannot take anything
for granted."
Golez said it was premature to link the Indonesian attacks to
those in the Philippines, noting that authorities in Jakarta were
still investigating Saturday's car bomb blasts.
Saturday's blasts in Kuta at nightspots popular with foreign
tourists killed nearly 200 people. Another bomb exploded shortly
beforehand near the Philippine consulate in Manado but harmed no
one.
Philippine diplomats said the estimated 4,000 Filipinos in
Indonesia had been warned to avoid crowded places and not take
any unnecessary trips after the explosions.
Armed forces spokesman Eduardo Purificacion said "there were
suspicions that the materials used in the bomb (in Zamboanga)
were indeed (the same as those) used by some terrorists in other
parts of the world."
The Bali explosions have focused new attention on terror plots
here that might have originated in Indonesia.
Two Indonesians, Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi and Agus Dwikarna,
have recently been jailed in the Philippines for possession of
explosives an are suspected of involvement in bomb plots here.
Both are suspected of links to the religious extremist group
Jemaah Islamiyah based in Indonesia.