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ASEAN foreign ministers agree to a new era of co-operation

The foreign ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nations have agreed to a new era of co-operation to combat terrorist threats in the region.

Geoff Thompson reports from the island of Phuket in southern Thailand:

"South-East Asia's awareness of terrorism has been sharpened since the arrest of 13 members of the radical Muslim Gemma Islamia group in Singapore and the discovery of their alleged plot to detonate bombs that could have killed thousands. The network behind the plan has since been traced to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, marking terrorism as a regional problem needing regional solutions. Thailand's Foreign Minister, Surakiart Sathirathai says those solutions have been unfolding at this ASEAN retreat, here in Phuket: "To me this a new area of ASEAN foreign ministers cooperation and is area of close cooperation and anti-terrorism." New initiatives include an information sharing agreement between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and enabling the cross-border arrest of terrorist leader.

22/02/2002 13:23:00 | ABC Radio Australia News

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