Shangri-La Forum highlights anti-terrorism situation in Southeast Asia

The Shangri-La Dialogue lasts from June 2nd to June 4th in Singapore. [Photo: 163.com.cn]

The fight against terror dominated the Shangri-La Dialogue which wrapped up in Singapore on Sunday.

The annual inter-governmental security forum is attended by defense ministers, military chiefs, and other officials from 28 Asia-Pacific states and regions.

Officials and experts from the Asia-Pacific countries attending the forum shared the view that the terror threat is both increasing and spreading with members of extremist groups sneaking into the region, and large-scale cyber-attacks becoming commonplace.

Ricardo David Jr, the Philippines' Deputy Secretary of Defense, outlined the current anti-terrorism situation in the south of his country.

"They have back door channels corridor in our country, probably in the area of Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea that they can proceed to Mindanao and link with the terrorist units in the area. That's why they were able to master the operation in the area of Marawi."

In addition, some Indonesian and Malaysian seafarers and fishermen are facing the threat of kidnapping in the Sulu Sea area, by Abu Sayyaf, an extremist force in the Philippines.

To deal with such threats, the Indonesian defense minister, Ryamizard Ryacudu, said trilateral cooperation, including joint patrols, was urgently needed.

"There's possibility to develop trilateral cooperation involving other countries such as Thailand and Singapore. Trilateral cooperation is not only intended to prevent piracy and hostages but also to prevent the spread of radical terrorist groups in the region and transnational criminal gangs."

The patrols will be conducted by forces from Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, starting with sea operations from June, with air and land patrols at a later date.

The Philippine authorities have also expressed a hope that China will be able to contribute coast-guard vessels to join patrol missions in the southern waters of the Philippines.

In response, Zhou Bo, an official from China's Defense Ministry, pointed out the fight against piracy is a common responsibility of the world's navies.

"Taking the case of escort missions in the Gulf of Aden as an example, besides protecting the interests in China's own territories, the Chinese military also safeguards the country's overseas interests and shoulders more international responsibilities. And in this regard, China has protected over 6300 merchant ships, with half of them foreign vessels."

Terror attacks were singled out as the biggest concern for Southeast Asia at the security forum in Singapore, with observers fearing they may prove a long-lasting threat to regional security and trade.

The forum gets its name from the Shangri-La hotel in the city state where it has been held since 2002.