safe, peaceful and stabile region, free of terrorism threats. Not if continues functioning without stronger and institutionalized enforcement structures,
mechanisms of verification or official sanctions for uncooperative members.
5.2. ASEAN region in a fight against bioterrorism
ASEAN is solving regional problems and issues via the Summit between government representatives, commonly Ministers of specified sectors. Those
meetings are held every three years with the venue organized in alphabetical order, with the same program: ASEAN leaders having an internal organizing
meeting and the conference, together with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum. Due to the fact that members of the ASEAN are one of the
world‟s least developed countries, ASEAN has asked for the help, in contributing its goals, of the other countries and organizations around the world. After these
meetings and conferences being held, the next steps in the Summit program are meetings with ASEAN Dialogue Partners: China, Japan and South Korea and a
separate meeting with the two other, Australia and New Zealand. Each two years between the formal meetings, informal meetings are also held.
Issues of terrorism are one of the main concerns during those meetings, but not the main ones since the countries are still dealing with the bigger challenges
left as a heritage of colonization. The important stand on the issue is that ASEAN sees terrorism as an issue that cannot and should not be associated with any
religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. As was stated, ASEAN member states are all approaching the issue in a different manner. The Thai Prime minister
Shinawatra stated that “There‟s no separatism, no ideological terrorists, just
common bandits”.
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That opinion was changed in 2003 when few of JI terrorists were arrested and charged for planning a terrorist attack on a number of embassies
and tourist centers in Bangkok. Several attacks occurred during 2004, followed by the years during which Thailand become a place of strong terrorists basis, gun
market used by terrorists and a meeting location of JI activists.
While not having any bigger terrorism attacks on its territory, Malaysian special task force is dealing with terrorism by arresting, having intelligence
programs and programs of de-radicalization and re-education.
Brunei is maybe one of the only countries that st ill doesn‟t have terroristic
threat or radicalism. The research report “Motivation and root causes of terrorism”
believes that this is because of the existence of the dual legal system: one for Muslims Sharia law and non-Muslim population civil court, economic stability
based on the oil production, welfare system covering social benefits and centralization in society, religion and state. But still, they did adopt anti-terrorism
legislations – the Anti-Terrorism Order from 2011.
What is important to emphasize here is that it is true that terrorism has origins in individual states and its effecting its individuals first, but at the same time has
transnational effects. Fighting terrorism in a region go a new dimension when the
Heads of State of ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism on November 2001 in Brunei Darussalam. With this
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Neil J. Mel i , 7, Co fli t i “outher Thaila d: Isla ism, Violence and the state in the
Pataki I surge y , “IPRI Poli y Paper No. , p. 7
Declaration it could be seen that ASEAN has “great incentive to be cautious and
view the problem of terrorism in term of domestic, not region wide, implications”.
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By the Declaration mechanism such are: strengthening national mechanisms to combat terrorism; deepening
cooperation among ASEAN‟s law enforcement
agencies in
combating terrorism;
“enhancing informationintelligence exchange to facilitate the flow of information, in
particular, on terrorists and terrorist organizations, their movement and funding, and any other information needed to protect lives, property and the security of all
modes of travel ”
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; strengthen cooperation between the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime AMMTC and other relevant ASEAN bodies
such are the ASEAN + 3, the ASEAN Dialogue Partners and the ASEAN Regional Forum ARF.
The problem with the previously mentioned is that they are related to the fight against terrorism, but, except in just mentioning, none of them is relating to the
bioterrorism in more specific manner. Even they did adopt UNSC Resolution 1540, related to the WMD, little attention is given to the section related to the bio-
weapons. Nuclear and chemical weapons still remain bigger issues. All that‟s
being said shows that ASEAN did accomplish what it was its purpose as a regional organization
– to be an arena in which its members are debating how to address certain issues of the common interests or need they are not capable of
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Cho , J. T., , ASEAN Counter-terrorism Cooperation since 911 , Asian Survey, 452,
p.302-321
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Pushpa atha “.,
, A“EAN
Efforts to
Co at
Terroris ,
http:www.asean.orgresourcesitemasean-efforts-to-combat-terrorism-by-spushpanathan ,
[28.06.2013]
fulfilling on their own. Accent should be put on the fact that, although it can influence the security off all the states, not all of them are putting the same
importance on the mentioned issues. This is why functioning of the ASEAN is based on the principle of the functional approach where the states are organizing
themselves as the new threats arise. It would be proved later, in the chapter discussing about the health systems and cooperation in the region.
5.3. Beyond ASEAN
