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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Australia offers joint sea patrols, boats
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Australian government has expressed willingness to help the Philippines fight terror threats, offering Tuesday to conduct joint patrols of seas and provide the country with boats to improve its security campaign.
"Security of one becomes the security of others. Apparently, it becomes the security of Australians, as well," Senator Robert Hill stressed when queried by the local media during his courtesy call on Mayor Celso Lobregat Monday morning at Zamboanga City Hall.
Hill is in the country for four days for counter-terrorism talks and would leave Wednesday.
Also minister of national defense of Australia, Hill arrived in Zamboanga City Monday to confer with top civilian and military officials concerning the Philippine security situation amid the global terrorism threat.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in Manila that Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. would discuss with his Australian counterpart the offered boats as well as how the Philippine and Australian navies could conduct joint patrols.
"As you know, Australians have been the victims of terrorism twice in Indonesia and they are really very hot on their anti-terrorism program," said Ermita who joined Cruz in welcoming and accompanying Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Tony Hely during their courtesy call on President Arroyo Tuesday afternoon.
Ermita said Hill had been briefed by defense and military officials on the country's anti-terrorism program and had just come from a visit in Mindanao where he was welcomed and briefed by Southern Command head Edilberto Adan.
"He had a feel on how our troops are coping with the fight against international terrorism. They said they are wiling to work closely with Philippine authorities especially on such programs like effective exchange of intelligence, intelligence fusion, and to the point of conducting training of our selected personnel in Australia," Ermita said.
Australia is also training Philippine military special forces on long-range reconnaissance and providing air and sea surveillance to help root out Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists who are reportedly hiding in Mindanao.
Some Australian military personnel earlier arrived in the country to train their Filipino counterparts on bomb investigation techniques.
The Philippines and Australia had been conducting regular counter-terrorism exercises since a defense cooperation agreement was signed by the two countries in 1995.
Arroyo, during the meeting, thanked Hill and Australia for "extending military assistance to our government."
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang welcomes the assistance of Australia, reiterating the immediate need for the passage of the anti-terrorism bill.
"We must combine all tools to fight terror--global cooperation and grassroots vigilance--with a strong anti-terrorism bill that will facilitate the detection for terrorist cells, make them easier to arrest and keep them from executing their evil task," Bunye said.
Mayor Lobregat, meanwhile, confirmed that in his talks earlier with Hill, the Australian official revealed that his government is very willing to help the Philippines in its fight against terrorism.
"He (Hill) was saying that Australia is very much willing to help the Philippines, especially in terms of capacity building, in terms of training and even, perhaps, some equipment for counter-terrorism," Mayor Lobregat said after the Australian senator's brief call on the city executive.
Lobregat said he informed the visiting Australian official how fortunate Zamboanga City was with the offer of help extended by the Australian government to combat terrorism in the region.
The mayor cited the significance of having surveillance cameras not only at the Zamboanga City International Airport (ZCIA) but also at the PPA wharf to monitor the activities at the city's pier, which is considered by Philippine Ports Authority officials as a soft target for terror attacks from the sea.
Hill visited Zamboanga with a close-in security entourage composed of Australian, US, and local military forces.
Hill said he has been frequently visiting the country, and his visit to the city was his first in Mindanao.
He declared Australia's desire to help the Philippines prevent Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiya (Jl) militants from making southern Philippines their base for training purposes.
He revealed that the JI radical group is a lethal force to deal with throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and that there is a need for a coordinative working intelligence network to effectively stamp out terrorism in this part of the globe.
In the 2002 Bali bombings, most of the more than 200 fatalities were Australian holiday-makers, who considered the island beach resort as a world-class vacation place on summer days.
In this year's Bali bombing that occurred last October 1, at least five Australians were among the more than 20 victims who died.
All the two separate bomb attacks in Bali Island, Indonesia were believed perpetrated by JI suicide bombers.
At least two notorious Bali bomber-suspects, identified as Dulmatin and Patit, reportedly fled to southern Philippines, specifically in Central Mindanao, following the first Bali Bomb assaults three years ago.
Central Mindanao is pinpointed through persistent reports as another JI-established training camp, which is situated in the thickly forested area within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) territory.
The MILF hierarchy has denied ties with terrorists, and even expressed willingness to help the Philippine government hunt down the two JI suspects who have bounties on their head amounting to $10 million and $1 million dollars, respectively, put at stake by the US government.
The MILF is currently locked in peace talks with the Philippines in an attempt to end the almost three decades of Moro insurgency in Mindanao. (Sun.Star Zamboanga/JMR/Sunnex)
(October 19, 2005 issue)
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