Return of foreign fighters tops terror summit agenda

Australia and Indonesia will establish a forum in the region to help counter the threat of returning foreign fighters.

Indonesia’s security minister Wiranto and Australian Attorney-General George Brandis at the counter-terrorism meeting at the weekend.

Australia and Indonesia have agreed to establish a new strategic forum with other regional partners to help counter the threat posed by returning foreign fighters as the national police agencies of both nations agreed to co-host a dialogue on Islamic State.

Attorney-General George Brandis attended a two-day regional summit in Manado, the capital of the North Sulawesi province, to warn of the dangers of foreign fighters and the “increasing prevalence of cross-border terrorism.”

Senator Brandis said the problem of returning foreign fighters had been thrown into “even starker relief” by the insurgency in the southern Philippines city of Marawi. Analysts say the conflict, now entering its third month, would serve as both an inspiration and a fertile recruiting and training ground for terrorists from across the region.

“It is significant that we resolve today that this meeting would not be a one-off, but will be the first of a series of meetings which will be now part of the regional architecture, and we have resolved to meet again next year to further evolve this new architecture,” Senator Brandis said.

The six-nation meeting was also attended by Malaysia, Brunei, The Philippines and New Zealand, and chaired by Senator Brandis along with the Indonesian Co-ordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Wiranto.

The six countries agreed to crack down on the cross-border movements of terrorists — including by sharing databases on foreign fighters as well as strengthening ties to monitor the porous sea borders between The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

“The conflict in Marawi reminds us in the most immediate possible way of the urgency and the proximity of the threat that is faced by all of us,” Senator Brandis said.

Indonesia is seeking to revise its antiquated terrorism law, passed shortly after the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 88 Australians. Under the current law, it is not illegal for Indonesians to join terrorism training camps overseas or become a member of groups such as Islamic State. The issue of cyber-security was also discussed at the two-day summit. Indonesia recently blocked the web version of Telegram, which has been dubbed “the app of choice” for Islamic State members and supporters — and threatened to impose a total ban on the messaging app.

A joint statement noted that Australia and Indonesia had agreed to conduct a “law enforcement dialogue on the issue of ISIS in August 2017” to be co-hosted by the Australian Federal Police and the Indonesian National Police.

Member countries also agreed to establish a “Foreign Terrorist Fighters Strategic Forum” to improve information flows and “synchronise priorities” among intelligence agencies.

Commitments were given to address the root causes of terrorism through programs to strengthen social cohesion. Member countries also agreed to undertake a study of their respective terrorism laws to build greater understanding of the different legal frameworks that exist to combat terrorist threats.

Wiranto, a retired general, said it was crucial the six countries forged co-operation with messaging app providers and social media platforms to undermine the ability of terrorists to spread propaganda.