06/06/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09929

WOLFOWITZ IN SINGAPORE

Speaking to a regional security conference in Singapore, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said terrorism is "not just America’s problem. The targets also very explicitly include the five-hundred million Muslims who live in the Pacific Rim." Mr. Wolfowitz told the gathering of more than one-hundred fifty former and current defense officials that countries throughout Asia must keep their guard up. Even nations with large Muslim populations are targets for attack by Islamic extremists.

So far, members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist network have not been able to make Southeast Asia their main refuge after fleeing Afghanistan. But as Mr. Wolfowitz warned, "Every time you cut [the terrorists] off in one place, they’re going to look for other places. Southeast Asian countries remain vulnerable for that reason."

Terrorists like the Jemaah Islamiah Group appear to have organized sleeper cells throughout Asia. Malaysian authorities have detained over sixty suspected terrorists, some with reported ties to al-Qaida. Singapore authorities have detained another thirteen Jemaah Islamiah members who were targeting the embassies of the U.S., Israel, Australia, and Britain. Interrogations revealed plans to organize a terrorist network in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia.

The countries of Southeast Asia and elsewhere need to be especially vigilant against what is perhaps the most dangerous threat facing nations around the world: the prospect of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons. According to Mr. Wolfowitz, the concern that "nuclear weapons or scientists with nuclear expertise [could] fall into the hands of rogue regimes or terrorist groups is a very, very real one." Security also needs to be increased at Southeast Asian ports to prevent terrorist nuclear attacks.

The countries of Southeast Asia have become strong allies in the U.S.-led global war on terrorism. Governments are cracking down on terrorist cells. Law enforcement agencies are sharing intelligence about suspected terrorist organizations. This vigilance must continue. As Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz said, it is the only way to defeat terrorists who want to impose "a medieval, intolerant and tyrannical way of life."