Collaborating More Closely Across Borders Against Terror

The Straits Times

31 October 2016

Malaysia last Thursday unveiled a special operations force comprising men from its police, coast guard and military, to beef up its response to domestic terror threats.

A week earlier, lawmakers in Indonesia agreed to legislative changes which will allow its armed forces to play a more direct role in fighting extremism on home soil – a mission currently spearheaded by its police.

The decision by members of Indonesia’s House of Representatives came just days after Singapore staged its largest counterterrorism exercise in the country. While it was meant to raise awareness of terrorism, it also showcased a strong synergy between the Home Team and the Singapore Armed Forces when it comes to tackling security threats.

These developments in the three countries, closely connected by both land and sea borders, come at a time when South-east Asia runs the risk of becoming the next battlefield for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

… But no country is able to solve the problem of terrorism alone because it is often a transnational threat, said observers such as Mr Jasminder Singh.

The senior analyst from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research noted that the source of leadership, ideology, financing and training of terrorists often lies overseas. Their attacks are also not limited to targets in their homelands.

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