Terrorism shakes Southeast Asia, but strengthens ASEAN

Terrorism shakes Southeast Asia, but strengthens ASEAN

Veeramalla Anjaiah
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

This year's terror attacks in the Philippines, Thailand and
Indonesia, including the deadly Oct. 12 Bali blasts and the
arrests of alleged members of a regional terror network in
Singapore and Malaysia, jolted the normally stable Southeast
Asia.

At the same time these terror acts also united the oft-
bickering members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) on a common platform.

Before the Bali blasts, no one would ever have imagined that
Southeast Asia -- home to 20 percent of the world's one billion
Muslim population with deep-rooted traditions of moderation and
religious tolerance -- could become not only a victim, but also
an operative field for international terrorists.

With its huge casualties, the Bali incident -- the largest act
of terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. and the worst
terrorist attack in Indonesian history -- was proof that the
early U.S. military success in Afghanistan failed to weaken
terrorist capabilities and confirmed that the war against
terrorism is just in its embryonic stage.

More than 190 people from different nationalities were killed
and more than 300 people were injured in the deadly blast outside
the Sari Club in Kuta, Bali.

Indonesia is not the only country in the region that was
affected by terrorism.

With its decades-old separatist Moro insurgency, and communist
rebellion, the Philippines has drawn the attention of Osama bin
Laden's al-Qaeda and become a training ground for regional
religious radicals. Al-Qaeda operatives visited the Philippines
from time to time and coordinated the local extremist groups to
intensify their attacks.

After crushing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the U.S. had
opened a "second front" in Southeast Asia in its war against
terrorism by sending 1,200 troops to the Philippines to train the
latter's forces in January.

Singapore had uncovered a plot of Jamaah Isamiyah (JI) -- a
regional terror network allegedly affiliated with al-Qaeda -- to
blow up U.S. and Western targets and arrested 13 of its members.

For its part, Malaysia, where JI had established cells,
arrested around 73 members including some trained suicide bombers
of an organization called Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM), the
sister organization of JI as a preemptive measure under its
draconian Internal Security Law.

There was no clear evidence of the presence of either JI or
al-Qaeda in Thailand, but recent violent incidents in southern
Thailand led to suspicion among Westerners.

The impact of the Bali bombing was devastating for Indonesia's
wobbly economy, the biggest victim of the regional 1997 financial
crisis. The carnage also hurt the investment image of Southeast
Asia as a whole.

Indonesia, according to analysts, stood to lose US$1.5 billion
this year as a result of the slump in tourist arrivals.

Analysts said if the Bali attacks could create the impression
among U.S., European and Japanese investors that Southeast Asia
-- which is still struggling to recover from the financial crisis
-- is a hotbed of international terrorism, capital inflows would
dry up further and some fund managers may pull long-term money
out, causing trade and tourism to suffer.

But despite the Bali blasts, uncovered plots and arrests, it
is undeniable that Southeast Asia is not a breeding ground for
terrorists. Certainly, the region is not on the brink of anarchy.
These incidents might scare investors and tourists, but they do
not pose a threat to Southeast Asia's stability in general.

Even JI's dream of establishing a pan-Islamic state or Daulah
Islamiyah linking Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand
and the southern Philippines could not be materialized for a
thousand years, no matter how many bombs they plant here and
there.

Thanks to the war against terrorism, ASEAN, which lost its
fire and fame due to the 1997 crisis, is regaining not only
confidence but also respect.

"ASEAN has definitely become more unified on the terrorism
issue," ASEAN's incoming secretary-general (2003-2007) Ong Keng
Yong said recently.

Before the Bali blasts, Indonesia was reluctant to deal with
suspected members of JI despite repeated requests from Malaysia,
Singapore and Western countries. After Oct. 12, things changed
rapidly. Indonesia successfully arrested several suspects in the
Bali carnage.

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines signed a trilateral
accord -- the Agreement on Information Exchange and Establishment
of Communication Procedures -- in May 2002 to deal with
terrorism. Later Cambodia and Thailand signed the agreement, and
Brunei will do so soon. Singapore said it would need some time
before signing.

The signatories of the agreement can improve the exchange of
information, establish and standardize search and rescue
operations, create hotlines and share passenger lists. They will
also strengthen border controls and conduct counterterrorism
exercises.

As a part of the opening of the second front in its war
against terrorism, the U.S. -- which had become prone to "bad-
mouthing ASEAN gratuitously" -- in August 2002 signed a joint
declaration with ASEAN to combat international terrorism.

Regional power China has also joined the race to gain
influence in Southeast Asia. India and Australia also expressed
interest in working with ASEAN given the region's strategic
importance.

ASEAN stepped up its war on terror by announcing new measures
and fresh cooperation with China at its eighth ASEAN Summit in
Phnom Penh last month.

ASEAN recently held two regional conferences -- in Manila and
Bali -- on antiterrorism measures, combating money-laundering and
terrorist financing. It will establish a regional
counterterrorism center in Kuala Lumpur next year.

There is also some criticism that ASEAN is moving too slowly
and inefficiently to counter Southeast Asia's risks by being long
on talk and short on action.

"It is time to move from summits to secretariats, from talk to
permanent and competent staff," former chief of the U.S. Pacific
Command Adm. Dennis Blair said in a report recently.

ASEAN holds more than 300 meetings or talks a year -- or an
average of one meeting a day.

Apart from the cooperation in the war against terrorism, ASEAN
countries felt uncomfortable with the travel advisories issued by
Western countries warning their citizens against visiting the
region and the closure of embassies without any established and
sufficient evidence.

The Australian prime minister's announcement that the country
would be prepared to launch preemptive attacks against terrorist
bases in Southeast Asian countries if Australia was at risk of
attack drew the ire of countries from Indonesia to Thailand.

ASEAN members are confident that with the right strategy and
strong political will, terrorism can be contained or defeated the
same way as communism was in the 1960s.

The key to success in the war against terrorism is, in the
words of Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda, "If the
root causes can be effectively addressed, there is a good chance
of ending terrorism."