SE Asia faces delicate task in terrorism war

SE Asia faces delicate task in terrorism war

Eileen Ng, Agence France-Presse, Phnom Penh

Southeast Asian nations have stepped up their war on terror
with the expansion of a regional security pact and fresh
cooperation with China but the task ahead remains difficult and
delicate, analysts and diplomats said on Wednesday.

In a symbolic gesture of support to Indonesia, leaders of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to gather
in Bali for their summit next October on the first anniversary of
the carnage that killed more than 190 people.

Until then, the 10-member group will flex its security muscles
with a raft of activities, from a joint counter-terrorism
exercise to the launch of a regional training center.

"ASEAN has definitely become more unified on the terrorism
issue," ASEAN's incoming secretary-general Ong Keng Yong told
AFP.

"At the political level, there is a strong commitment to deal
with it in a very assertive way, no more waffling around. The
message is that the leaders are very serious and have no doubts
about what they need to do."

ASEAN leaders renewed their resolve to intensify efforts to
"prevent, counter and suppress" terrorist groups in the region at
the end of a two-day annual summit here Tuesday.

They also urged Western governments not to play to the
terrorists' agenda by issuing security alerts warning against
travel in Southeast Asia without established and substantial
evidence.

ASEAN leaders forged a new security agreement with rising
economic power China to fight terrorism and transnational crimes
at their summit.

Thailand meanwhile, acceded to a regional pact focused on
sharing intelligence, resources and personnel to fight terrorism,
with Brunei saying it would also come aboard in the next few
months.

The pact establishes guidelines for search and rescue
operations, special communication channels, sharing of airline
passenger lists and stronger border controls, officials said.

It already binds countries most exposed to terrorism:
Indonesia grappling with separatist violence and now the Bali
blast, the Philippines with Muslim extremists in the south,
Malaysia where elements linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda
terror network have been detected, and Cambodia.

Singapore, which has detained 31 suspected militants, has
refused to join and said it would rely instead on bilateral
security arrangements.

Despite progress in its terror war, analysts noted there has
been no push on Indonesia to take tougher action despite
dissatisfaction from Singapore and Malaysia.

"On the surface, ASEAN seems more unified but it is moving
gingerly. There is no consensus on how to deal with terrorism in
Indonesia," said Andrew Tan, analyst with the Institute of
Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.

"I am not convinced that the basis of multilateral cooperation
exists in Southeast Asia because of differing national interests
and inter-state conflicts," Tan said.

"It will be a difficult and delicate road ahead for ASEAN."
President Megawati Soekarnoputri lacks the political will to
crack the whip against terror groups because of fears of a Muslim
backlash ahead of a general election in 2004, he added.

Megawati maintained that Bali was now safe and said efforts to
bolster security ahead of next year's ASEAN summit would ensure
security for heads of state and the island's population.

The expanded regional security group will hold its first major
exercise in Manila in late December or early 2003, gathering
security and law enforcement agencies from member nations to deal
with a simulated terrorist attack.

Manila will also host a two-day conference from this Friday
involving the United States and 16 other countries on anti-
terrorism measures and tourism recovery. A regional meeting on
money laundering and terrorist financing will take place in Bali
in December.

In early 2003, Kuala Lumpur will launch a non-military
training center to strengthen the region's capacity to deal with
terrorist threats and an ASEAN ministerial summit on
transnational crime involving China, Japan and South Korea will
be held in Bangkok late next year.