ARF urges improved ties to fight terror

Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Semarang | Sat, 02/23/2008 4:44 PM | National

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ended a two-day meeting here Friday with a call for better cooperation to combat transnational crimes as part of efforts to fight terror.

Drugs and human trafficking as well as arms smuggling have enabled terrorist networks to survive and evolve despite surveillance from security authorities, the sixth ARF inter-sessional meeting concluded.

"We see that people and weapons smuggling have allowed the global terror network to become well-established with finance sources from drug trafficking," Primo Alui Joelianto, director general for Asia Pacific and African affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, told a press conference after the meeting.

He said it would be hard to address terrorism without involving a global participation because the radical movements received support through cross-border illegal activities.

The forum, co-hosted by Indonesia and India, was attended by delegations from 27 countries who shared information on how to fight terrorism in the context of transnational crimes.

Primo declined to reveal recommendations agreed during the closed-door meeting, saying they would be submitted to ARF's 2008 ministerial meeting in Singapore in July for adoption.

He said a more intense cooperation among countries was needed to strengthen security at border areas in order to keep smuggling activities at bay.

"Indonesia, for example, cannot work alone in securing its extensive border areas. We must cooperate with neighboring countries to achieve a more successful result."

Primo said it was necessary to raise people's awareness about the danger of ideology used by terrorists in justifying their devastating actions.

"We must protect our children by getting them to learn about the justification and danger of terrorism. I think education is a ways to counter the spreading of terrorism," he said.

Speaking at the forum Thursday, the Southeast Asia project director of the International Crisis Group (ICG), Sidney Jones, said regional terror network Jamaah Islamiyah was changing its tactics from carrying out large-scale operations to focusing on expanding its organization by recruitment through dakwah (Islamic preaching) to strengthen its base.

The move was also connected to JI's current financial condition, which has forced its operatives to shift from expensive large-scale operations to more subtle operations, such as dakwah, she said.

Police have reportedly caught some 300 JI members throughout Indonesia, and have killed many others, including Malaysian fugitive Azahari who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings.

Primo have said about 100 of the JI militants held had been convicted while the rest were awaiting trial.

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