Abe to Call for G-7’s Help for ASEAN Anti Terror Efforts

Tokyo (PNA/Kyodo) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to call on his Group of Seven counterparts to jointly assist members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to crack down on terrorism, a Japanese government source said Sunday.

The underlying aim is to curb the expanding influence of the Islamic State militant group in Southeast Asia and step up the fight against terrorism in the entire Asian region ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the source said.

Abe wants to incorporate joint support for ASEAN countries in an action plan for combating terrorism to be crafted at the G-7 summit, which is to take place in the central Japan prefecture of Mie on Thursday and Friday.

The G-7 members — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union — are arranging to vow in the action plan that the G-7 will jointly help regions, including in Asia, that have insufficient anti terror measures in place.

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have all seen cases of young people traveling to Islamic State-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq where they have received training as militants before returning home.

Acts of terrorism and violence linked to the group have also hit ASEAN countries, including a series of bombings in Jakarta and the arrest of an Islamic State member plotting a suicide attack in Kuala Lumpur, both in January.

The Abu Sayyaf militant group, based in the southern part of the Philippines, is said to have connections with Islamic State. In southern Thailand, there has been a surge in terrorist attacks mounted by anti government Islamic guerrillas.

Abe believes the anti terror know-how of G-7 nations should be shared with Asian countries, the source said.Tokyo is also eager to prevent acts of terrorism from happening at home as a result of the growing number of tourists from Southeast Asia visiting Japan, the source said.

The action plan would focus on preventing violent radicalism from emerging in any society. It is also expected to include such measures as utilizing information on those wanted internationally by the International Criminal Police Organization and cutting off funding to terrorists.

The ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (PNA/Kyodo) JMC/SSC