JI still the biggest terror threat in SEA, RP — Australian officials

The Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) remains the biggest terrorist threat to Southeast Asia, a top regional security official said yesterday.

Australia’s Counter-Terrorism Ambassador Les Luc said Australian and Filipino security experts made the assessment that the JI remains the greatest threat with the largest possibility of launching further terror attacks on countries in the region.

"It is a region-wide assessment. It is the Jemaah Islamiyah that is linked to al-Qaeda and transnational terrorism. That is what we are determined to deal with," Luc told reporters during the two-day security meeting at the Hyatt Hotel in Pasay City which concluded yesterday.

Luc said Philippine and Australian security officials had agreed to address the JI threat in the region.

"We had a good meeting. It is part of a long-standing partnership with the Philippines in dealing with terrorism, the big regional threat, the big regional challenge and we need to have this kind of partnership," he stressed.

Philippine and Australian security officials concluded yesterday the first bilateral consultations and assessment of counterterrorism engagement of both countries and the level of threat in the region.

Security officials of both countries also discussed the key areas of cooperation to thwart terror attacks and improve security cooperation.

Sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed earlier the efforts made by the Philippine government to secure bilateral security cooperation between Manila and Canberra.

Sources said the arrangements had been made during the two-day regional security meeting in Manila.

The Philippines is among the recipient-countries of Australia’s new regional counterterrorism assistance package amounting to Aus$92.6 million.

The Australian embassy in Manila announced last month that Canberra had given its commitment to grant an additional Aus$92.6 million in counterterrorism funds over the next four years to boost the capacity of regional countries, including the Philippines, to combat continuing and evolving threats of terrorism.

The new measures will build on existing regional cooperation in law enforcement, intelligence and border control.

Australia’s regional counterterrorism package for the Philippines includes an increased basic investigative and specialist law enforcement training along with specialist forensic and technical training by the Australian Federal Police.

The counterterrorism package is also aimed in increasing information-sharing and exchange of expertise on border control issues, including support for the Regional Movement Alert List system initiative endorsed by APEC leaders in 2005 to promote mutual access to passport database systems; collaborative efforts to strengthen regional controls on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials; and activities that promote tolerance and counteract terrorist propaganda.

The US government, for its part, is keeping a watchful eye on the security of the region and has put up huge rewards for the capture of top JI leaders.

Through its Rewards for Justice Program, the US government offered $11 million for the capture of Dulmatin and Umar Patek, the two JI militants wanted in the deadly bombing attacks on Bali, Indonesia in 2002.

The two are said to be hiding in the dense jungles of Mindanao as trainers of homegrown terrorists.

The US rewards are part of the overall US-Philippine cooperation in fighting terrorism.

The $10-million bounty on Dulmatin is the second highest reward offered by the US government exceeded only by $25 million award offered for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi al-Qaeda leader who was killed by US troops in an air strike near Baghdad recently.