Terror on agenda at lawmakers forum

Terror on agenda at lawmakers forum

CAMBODIA: Cambodia urged fellow Southeast Asian nations on Monday
to cooperate in the fight against terrorism at a meeting here of
lawmakers from across the region.

Cambodian national assembly president Prince Norodom Ranariddh
urged members to share information at a meeting held four days
after a suicide bombing at the Australian embassy in Jakarta
killed at least nine and injured more than 180.

"In one stroke a terrorist act could paralyze our regional
peace, security and development," Ranariddh told the meeting of
the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO).

"We must be constantly alert on this matter by establishing a
regional exchange of security information and making cooperative
and joint efforts to safeguard our regional peace, stability and
unity."

Ranariddh, the chairman of the meeting, also called on ASEAN
delegates to work toward addressing the growing gap between rich
and poor in the region.

The meeting gathers lawmakers from the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with observers from
Australia, China, East Timor, Europe, Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Russia. --AFP