Australia warns against complacency in terror war

Countries in Southeast Asia should remain on guard against terrorism even though there has been no serious attack in recent months, a top Australian official said yesterday.

"I’ve been concerned about what happened in Thailand recently and I’m concerned about the continual operation of terrorist groups in the Philippines," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Downer was referring to a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that resulted in several deaths.

"We certainly don’t think the game is up in terms of dealing with Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia and nor do the Indonesians think that either," he said.

"And I think everyone knows how closely we work with the Indonesians on this issue, but we shouldn’t for a minute become complacent just because there hasn’t been a serious terrorist attack for some time in Indonesia," Downer said.

Jemaah Islamiyah is al-Qaeda’s regional arm and is suspected of maintaining ties with the Abu Sayyaf Islamic kidnap gang and the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The MILF, which has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, denies having ties with terrorists. The rebel group reportedly ran training camps for Jemaah Islamiyah.

The Abu Sayyaf, meanwhile, claims that it bombed the SuperFerry 14, which sank in February in Manila Bay after catching fire. Over 100 people were killed. Authorities, however, remain skeptical.

For the past months Australia has been warning its citizens against traveling to the Philippines, citing persistent terrorist threats.

Manila has protested the travel warning, saying security measures were in place to thwart possible attacks.

Jemaah Islamiyah was allegedly responsible for the 2002 attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali that killed over 200 people, half of them Australian tourists.

The group was also allegedly behind a bomb attack in Jakarta that nearly killed then Philippine ambassador Leonides Caday reportedly as a reprisal for a Philippine military offensive against the MILF.

Western and regional intelligence officials say Jemaah Islamiyah aims to establish an extremist Islamic stronghold in Southeast Asia.