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| Southeast Asia |
| Al-Qaeda, JI sharing training camps in Southeast Asia |
| 2006-04-08 |
| AUSTRALIA'S top cop has evidence that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida group is infiltrating South-East Asia. Mick Keelty yesterday warned that al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiah cells were sharing expertise at terrorist training camps in the area. The Australian Federal Police Commissioner revealed al-Qaida was forging links with other extremist groups in South-East Asia. Mr Keelty hopes the AFP will become part of a permanent regional anti-terrorism taskforce to counter the threat. A working party will meet in the region within weeks to discuss agencies joining to fight the common curse of terrorism. "I am very keen for the AFP to play a major role in the proposed regional taskforce," Mr Keelty told the Herald Sun. In an interview to mark the first week of his second five-year term as AFP Commissioner, Mr Keelty also revealed: HIS personal opposition to the death penalty would not stop him or the AFP co-operating fully with police from countries that execute criminals. IF another Bali Nine situation arose in a death penalty country, he would have no hesitation in again tipping off police in that country. DEPORTED French terror suspect Willie Brigitte was a significant threat to Australia and was almost certainly establishing a cell in Sydney to commit terrorist acts. AVAILABLE evidence would lead any reasonable person to conclude former Melbourne taxi driver "Jihad" Jack Thomas was an al-Qaida recruit who was setting himself up in Australia as a sleeper agent for future use by al-Qaida. BURGEONING threats from terrorist and organised crime groups meant it was time to consider radical reforms to Australia's judicial system, because the odds were currently in favour of the accused. AUSTRALIAN authorities should consider establishing special terrorism courts to hear terrorism cases. IT was time to consider allowing courts and jurors to draw adverse inferences against those on trial who choose to hide behind their right to silence rather than testify or answer police questions. SOME judges were ruling too much evidence as inadmissible, which was contributing to guilty people going free. HE believed jurors were often embarrassed to find out after returning not guilty verdicts that they never got to hear damning inadmissible evidence that would have changed their minds. INTELLIGENCE suggested the AFP's three most wanted men - terrorists Noordin Top, Dulmatin and Umar Patek - were hiding near the border between the Philippines and Indonesia, and were plotting attacks by keeping in regular contact with extremists in Indonesia and Malaysia. TOP, Dulmatin and Patek were involved in many of the recent terrorist attacks in South-East Asia, including the 2002 Bali bombing which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. INFORMATION provided to the National Security Hotline has greatly helped AFP and ASIO agents identify suspects and make arrests. IT was vital that Australians continued to use the hotline to report suspicious activity because it was almost impossible for agencies alone to stop a suicide bomber. THE AFP is working closely with Australian kidnap victim Douglas Wood and Iraqi police to prepare a brief of evidence against his kidnappers, and is confident those responsible will be convicted. WEST African crime gangs were focusing on Australia to commit fraud and to smuggle drugs. THE mistaken belief by young Australians that it was relatively safe to take ecstasy and amphetamine-based tablets was by far the biggest drug problem facing the community and police. Mr Keelty said he expected countering terrorism and international organised crime gangs would continue to dominate the AFP's activities during his second five-year term as commissioner. "It is increasingly critical that police travel the world to gather evidence that may assist in prosecuting those engaged in terrorism and other forms of crime," he said. "But we encounter a number of constraints imposed by laws relating to evidence that does come from overseas. "I believe Australia's criminal justice system needs to allow courts to exercise even greater discretion to admit evidence acquired in circumstances which may not strictly conform to domestic requirements." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 is this a joke? |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-04-08 09:19 |