U.S. role is 'crucial' in SE Asia's antiterror war
U.S. role is 'crucial' in SE Asia's antiterror war
Agence France-Presse, Singapore
A U.S. role is crucial in Southeast Asia's fight against terrorism both in the political and economic spheres, a Singapore minister said.
Lee Yock Suan, the minister for the prime minister's office, told the Asia Society in Houston, Texas that Southeast Asia has implemented "practical measures" with its foreign allies to combat terrorist threats.
"The role of the U.S. is especially critical. Whatever happens in Southeast Asia will have an important impact on the United States-led campaign against terrorism," he said in the speech, released in Singapore on Tuesday.
"In the immediate term, Southeast Asia will inevitably assume a prominent role in the global campaign against terrorism," he said.
"The United States and East Asia must cooperate to root out terrorism."
Lee said the terrorist threat in Singapore had been crippled with the arrest of 31 suspected members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) group, the same al-Qaeda linked organization suspected of a role in the Oct. 12 Bali devastation.
He said that with the al-Qaeda network routed in Afghanistan, and regimes in the Middle East and Central Asia taking a tougher stance on terrorism, the group had turned to Southeast Asia.
"But let me assure you that we have no intention of allowing Southeast Asia to be turned into a theater of operation for terrorists," he said, adding that Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have all cracked down hard on terrorist groups.
Following the bomb blast that killed over 190 people in the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Oct. 12, Jakarta is expected to take a stronger action against suspected terrorists, he said.
Lee urged American businesses to continue to invest in Southeast Asia to help reduce poverty, saying terrorism must be fought not only with arms but with "bread and butter as well".
"If you do not come to Southeast Asia, we will fall into the trap of these terrorists. They will be more difficult to defeat," he said.
Washington should also play a key role in efforts toward regional economic integration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and dialog partners China, Japan and South Korea.
Moves toward bi-regional free trade zones involving ASEAN and its Northeast Asian neighbors should be seen by Washington as a "strategic opportunity," to get involved in the regional integration process, Lee said.
An initial step would be the expected signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Singapore which would give Washington a platform from which to deepen its economic engagement in the region.
Benefits of such an accord would go beyond the economic since "concluding the U.S.-Singapore FTA sends an important signal that the United States intends to remain a dominant player in East Asia," he said.