Speeches

Terrorism in Southeast Asia – The Threat and Response
Remarks by Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold
Traders Hotel
April 12, 2006

Thank you for the opportunity to give the opening remarks at this conference that brings together so many experts from around the region and the United States.   I would like to open by taking a quick look at terrorism from a global perspective and then focus on the importance of Southeast Asia for the United States and our extensive cooperation with Singapore.  I will close by mentioning some of the ways we are using technology to combat terrorism.

National Security Strategy

No country is immune from the threat of terrorism.  Terrorists have struck around the world – in Madrid, Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali, New York, London, and elsewhere.  As President Bush has said “The terrorists kill indiscriminately, but with a clear purpose – they’re trying to shake our will.”

Terrorism demands concerted action to defeat it.  One of the main goals of President Bush’s National Security Strategy released last month, is to strengthen our alliances to defeat global terrorism and to prevent attacks against us and our friends.

In the short run, the fight against terrorism involves using the instruments of national power, including military force, to kill or capture terrorists, deny them safe haven or control of any nation, prevent them from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction, and cut off their sources of support.

In the long run, winning the war on terror means winning the battle of ideas.  The advance of freedom and human dignity through democracy is the long-term solution to the transnational terrorism of today.

• Terrorists exploit political alienation.  Democracy gives people an ownership stake in society.
  
• Terrorists rely on conspiracy theories and misinformation.  Democracy offers freedom of speech, an independent media, and the marketplace of ideas.
  
• Terrorists use an ideology that justifies murder.  Democracy promotes a respect for human dignity.

Southeast Asia

Turning to this region, Southeast Asian nations have also suffered from terrorist violence.  The United States’ interest in Southeast Asia, however, is not limited to counterterrorism.  This is an important part of the world for us and we have been deeply engaged here for a very long time.
 
Trade and investment are central to our ties.  Let me just throw out a few statistics to highlight this point.  In 2005, U.S. exports to ASEAN were almost $50 billion, while we imported $99 billion – making the United States one of the most important trade partners for almost every country in ASEAN and a major contributor to growth here.  We have a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, we have been negotiating an FTA with Thailand, and talks have begun with Malaysia as well.  Also, for all the buzz about foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, it may surprise you to hear that U.S. FDI to ASEAN was a third higher than FDI to China and Hong Kong as of 2004 (at $79.9 billion versus $59.2 billion).

U.S. leadership pays close attention to Southeast Asia.  Secretary Rice was back in the region just last month to visit Indonesia.  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff visited Singapore two weeks ago.  Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is a regular participant at the Shangri-La Dialogues here in Singapore every June.  President Bush will visit Vietnam later this year for the APEC Leaders Meeting.  And we welcome any number of senior visitors from the region to Washington.  In APEC and other forums, senior officials discuss everything from education and information technology standards to secure trade and safe borders.

To combat terrorism, the United States has active partnerships with all involved countries in the region.

• Some of our programs are bilateral in nature.  For example, we supported Indonesia's establishment of a special police unit called Counterterrorism Task Force 88 whose members are responsible for arresting more than 100 suspects of terrorist activities.
  
• Multilaterally, we have supported the Kuala Lumpur-based Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT).  Since it opened in 2003, it has organized dozens of courses for many hundreds of participants from more than 16 countries in the region on preventing, investigating, and prosecuting terrorist acts and financing. By its very nature, the Center promotes international co-operation in the fight against terrorism.

In a region that depends on international trade and maritime transport, the nations of Southeast Asia are the first to recognize the importance of maritime security and border control.  Criminals can exploit the shipping lanes for drug and immigrant trafficking, piracy, and other heinous acts.  In the Strait of Malacca, the littoral states of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are enhancing maritime security through coordinated naval patrols and their “Eyes in the Sky” initiative.  With the littoral states in the lead, the United States joins other user states in standing ready to assist in these endeavors.

Singapore

Narrowing my focus from the region to Singapore, I can say that the United States is fortunate to have such a highly capable and enthusiastic partner.  Our countries share many common interests:

• We believe in the importance of free trade.  This is exemplified by our Free Trade Agreement and our work in the WTO to liberalize the global trade in goods and services.
  
• We see the U.S. security presence as helping promote peace, security, and economic development in Southeast Asia.  Our respective militaries work closely together and our Strategic Framework Agreement is part of our effort to make a good relationship even better.
  
• We recognize the need for a stable, peaceful Iraq and Singapore has consistently supported Coalition Activities.

As a nation built on trade, Singapore depends on smooth and secure transit of goods.  Its future growth depends on its ability to combine efficiency and security in ever-more competitive and challenging circumstances.  In addition to implementing its own robust anti-terrorism programs and cooperating in the region and globally on counterterrorism efforts, Singapore has been a leading partner for us on many trade security initiatives:

• CSI: Singapore was the first country in Asia to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI) – CSI ensures that all containers that pose a potential risk for terrorism are identified and inspected at foreign ports before they are placed on vessels destined for the United Sates.
  
• Megaports: Singapore was the first country in the region to join the Megaports Initiative that deploys radiation detection capabilities at key ports around the world to screen cargo for nuclear and radioactive materials that could be used against the United States, the host country, and other friends.
  
• PSI: Singapore has also actively participated in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) – a global initiative aimed at stopping shipments of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials worldwide.  Last August, Singapore hosted the first maritime interdiction and port search exercise in Southeast Asia.

Technology and Risk Management

Finally, I want to turn to the use of technology.  As Secretary Chertoff observed when he visited here last month, one of the key issues we face in counterterrorism is risk management.  We can’t protect everybody against everything, at every moment, in every place.  Besides the tremendous cost, we simply couldn’t do it.  We have to focus on the most serious risks and employ a layered series of defenses.

Technology is helping.  For example:

• The Megaports Initiative addresses the fear that terrorists will smuggle a nuclear bomb or radioactive material into the United States or partner countries.
  
• We are funding research on microbial risk assessment – to reduce or eliminate the health impacts from the deliberate indoor or outdoor use of biological agents.
  
• We are developing and testing cyber security technology to prevent, detect, and respond to large-scale, high-impact cyber attacks.
  
• We want to encourage the entry of bona fide travelers into the United States while screening the people we need to be concerned about.  Twenty-first century travel documentation is the answer.  We are working with other nations to develop a common platform for biometric, electronically-based, and secure travel documents that can’t be forged or copied.

In conclusion, I want to thank you for this opportunity to address you today.  Over the next two days, you will be discussing one of the most important subjects of our generation.  May I wish you a successful conference.