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."