Does It An Urgent To Build An-Intelligence-Gathering Alliance In Southeast Asia?
Jakarta is seeking the expertise of the United States to help it set up an intelligence-gathering alliance in Southeast Asia. Indonesian
Defense Minister, General (Ret) Ryamizard Ryacuudu said that the US’s defense minister, General (Ret) Jim Mattis agreed to help Indonesia establish an ASEAN-based intelligence-gathering initiative, to be called “Our Eyes”.
In October, Jakarta proposed six countries to join : Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and the hillipines. Our Eyes, would be needed for surveillance and early detection of potential threats by the Islamic State movement in Southeast Asia.
The initiative, which is to involve an integrated defense and intelligence network, is “purely cooperation to overcome threats from
terrorism and radicalism in the region without any political agenda.
The Our Eyes concept “is similiar to the concept of Five Eyes” in which the US and four other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom have been members since World War II.
Separately, Defense Ministry spokesman, Totok Sugiarto said the US had agreed to provide Indonesia with “sophisticated equipment”. Equipment to combat terrorism. Totok said that in developing Our Eyes, Indonesia and the US had agreed to share experiences and military training as would the other countries that join.
Does It An Urgent ?
Combating and fighting against terrorism and radicalism are longterm, difficult and slippery job because terror groups and radical
movement are always be seatle if the government does not maintain the plurality and diversity in Indonesia with equal treatment for all of nation stakeholders. However, besides terror acts is triggered by excessive trustee or exclusive mind to religious teachings, but terror acts could be lightered by social gap among people’s which has been judged by a terror and radical groups as the government’s failure.
Talking about terror threats in Southeast Asia after the Islamic State was defeated in Syria and Iraq, several intelligence information and open sources information have been given a strong indicators that Southeast area will be built as the next terror groups
basecamp.
Because of that, the plan to make an intelligence-gathering alliance among Southeast Asia countries is very urgent to realize. The
cooperation will be made strong and strengthened each an intelligence, police and military among Southeast Asia countries to combat, to pursue and to crush whereever a terror groups has been founded.
Basically and ideally, the plan to build intelligence-gathering alliance in Southeast Asia countries will be more better than the
implementation of those plan must be played by an intelligence community in Southeast Asia countries.
*) Amril Jambak, Senior journalist. Live in Pekanbaru, Riau.
