ASEAN secgen calls for vigilance vs terrorism

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Saying that the death of Osama bin Laden did not end terrorism, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan called for "extreme vigilance" against terror attacks even as he urged the international community to address the root cause of the problem. In an interview with reporters Tuesday, Pitsuwan said the aftermath of Bin Laden’s death "is going to be probably a period of anxiety and we just have to exercise extreme vigilance." He said authorities and law enforcement agencies are now working and closely monitoring the situation amid reports that followers of bin Laden might stage an attack. Bin Laden was killed in a US-led raid at a mansion near a Pakistani military training academy in the town of Abbottabad Sunday night. The leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, bin Laden masterminded the attacks at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2011 which killed almost 3,000 people. In the Philippines, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III ordered the National Security Council, military, defense and law enforcement agencies to convene, assess and brief him on the threats with regards to the death of Bin Laden. Aquino said there is no specific threat yet received by the Philippine government. "They (agencies) are preparing their various briefs. They will be meeting by 9 a.m. (on Wednesday). I’ll have the official (report) by tomorrow (Wednesday)," he told Filipino reporters in an interview. In Indonesia, National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen Nanan Sukarna was quoted by Antara News Agency as saying that they would increase the monitoring of local terrorist groups in anticipation of possible attacks to revenge bin Laden’s death. Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terror group with links to the al-Qaeda, is active in both the Philippines and Indonesia. Failure to address the basic needs breeds terrorism Pitsuwan said "terrorism is a scrooge the international community has been facing for sometime now." He said radicalism used to be ideological but lately it has been driven by failure of authorities to address people’s grievances. "The sense of injustice, the lack of satisfactory solutions to problems that stoked bitterness, despair in the world and here in Southeast Asia, too," he said. Pitsuwan added that unless and until the international community can effectively address the issue on poverty, injustice, inequality and lack of economic progress which lead to lack of dignity, bitterness, and despair "certainly ingredients for social tension will remain." "I guess the death of one man is not going to end terrorism," he said. "It’s the end of a chapter led by the personality and his ideology, his call but I guess the international community will have to look at the issues that caused, that have inspired or instigated these people to act the way they acted and the way some of them are acting," he explained. He said the ASEAN’s approach is the promotion of development that is equitable, inclusive, and that embodies peaceful and mutual respect among the various communities taking into account their diversity and historical uniqueness. "The road to ending violent extremism, terrorism and global cultural discords might very well run through the ASEAN region," he added. Convention on Counter-Terrorism Pitsuwan also mentioned the ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism (ACCT) which aims to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation among ASEAN’s law enforcement and other relevant authorities. The Convention is expected to come into force later in May after Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member state to ratify it and deposited its ratification instrument with the ASEAN Secretary-General on April, 28 2011. According to Article 21 of ACCT, the Convention shall enter into force on the 30th day following the date of the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or approval with the ASEAN Secretary-General. The other countries that have ratified the Convention were Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. Other members of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar. In a separate press statement, Pitsuwan said ACCT serves as the cornerstone in enhancing the region’s capacity to confront terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation. The ACCT also enhances the region’s strategic role in the global strategy on counter-terrorism, he said. With this, he urged the remaining ASEAN member states to expedite their respective ratification processes. He said the forthcoming entry into force of the ACCT will add new momentum to ASEAN’s concerted efforts in countering extremism and terrorism. — RSJ, GMA News