Feature Stories of AusAID

Projects

Tackling Terrorism

Australia's aid program is involved in a number of longterm anti-terrorism projects in the Asia-Pacific region. These projects are helping the region to understand and change the conditions that can foster terrorism. The shocking events of 11 September 2001 and 12 October 2002 forced the issue of international terrorism onto the front page of every newspaper in the Asia-Pacific region. The world is now grappling with the issue of how to defeat global terrorism. The United Nations and other international organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), are working with their members to develop the capabilities needed to combat terrorism.

Countries are now required by the United Nations and the OECD to strengthen areas such as customs and the banking sector. The region's forums, like the ASEAN Regional Forum and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), have also agreed on anti-terrorism measures. Australia is working closely with its neighbours to assist them in meeting the commitments they have agreed to implement.

Providing Australian aid in areas such as customs and finance will help the region to restore growth and confidence and develop anti-terrorism measures.

Indonesia

"Australia and Indonesia believe that by effectively working together, we, (and) the countries of this region, can make a valuable contribution to the global fight against terrorism and to the building of a more peaceful and more secure world," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda.

Australia is providing assistance to Indonesia to combat terrorism, estimated at A$ 10 million over four years. Assistance will focus on three areas:

• Increasing Indonesia's police force capacity to counter terrorism and transnational crime.
• Enhancing travel security and border control by working with Indonesia's transport, immigration and customs areas.
• With assistance from other countries, strengthening Indonesia's financial sector and developing measures to restrict the flow of financing to terrorists.

In December 2002 Indonesia and Australia co-chaired the Conference on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing held in Bali. Representatives from 31 regional countries attended the conference.

Asia Pacific

Australia is providing assistance to developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to ensure that law enforcement, customs and immigration authorities have a greater capacity to detect and deal with people who may be involved in terrorism.

• In March 2002 Australia, with the United States and New Zealand sponsored a workshop for Pacific Island countries on developing anti-terrorism measures.
• The meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2002 resulted in the Nasonini Declaration on Regional Security. This declaration commits Pacific Island countries to act together in response to security challenges. Pacific Forum members also agreed to put into practice internationally agreed anti-terrorism measures.
• Following the declaration, Australia provided support to establish a working group to develop a regional plan to deal with terrorism. The regional framework will include model legislation and in-country legislative drafting assistance to deal with terrorism.

The Australian Government also provided assistance to the ASEAN Regional Forum, which in 2002 ran a workshop for participants from ASEAN countries on the prevention of terrorism and enhancement of anti-terrorism capabilities.

Money Laundering

Australia is providing assistance across the Asia-Pacific region to combat terrorist financing and money laundering:

• Australia, through its aid program, has provided A$ 50,000 for workshops and meetings organised by the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering.
• In Papua New Guinea, an Australian adviser has assisted the government to draft the 'proceeds of crime' legislation aimed at countering the financial flows from international criminal activity.

Customs

Australia is also undertaking a range of customs and immigration activities that will support or complement the objectives of the Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) Initiative. These include:

• A$ 1.45 million customs project in ASEAN developing economies to improve customs administration procedures and processes, and to assist with the adoption of international best practices relevant to cargo clearance.
• Implementing an automated customs data systems in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.
• Strengthening customs audit procedures in Indonesia.
• Travel document fraud detection workshops run by the Department of Immigration Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) for officials in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam.
• A trial of Australia's (DIMIA) Advance Passenger Processing system in Malaysia.
• Strengthening cooperation between DIMIA and Indonesian immigration and police authorities to detect third-country nationals and sharing information on people smuggling.
• Customs integrity self-assessment workshops provided by the Australian Customs
• Service to assist China, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam to complete the World
• Customs Organisation's Self-Assessment Guidelines.
• A project in China to help develop electronic cargo manifests that satisfy both customs and port requirements.

Original article appeared in FOCUS magazine, Autumn 2003.

This page was last updated on 12 July 2006

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