Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia to tighten noose on IS allied terrorists

MANILA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia closed ranks on Thursday, committing to tighten the noose on Islamic State (IS) militants in Southeast Asia like tightening the flow of funds to finance the terror cells operating in the region.

The three Southeast Asian countries also vowed "to work together to jointly develop and implement counter-terrorism measures and strategies" to ensure that the IS militants will not gain foothold in the region.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman attended the meeting aimed at enhancing cooperation to nip in the bud efforts of IS terrorists to establish a caliphate or base in the region.

High-level officials from the countries respective armed forces, national police and intelligence agencies also attended the meeting.

In a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the three countries at the end of their trilateral meeting on security, the foreign ministers of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia expressed concern over the recent terror-related incidents in their respective countries.

"The meeting reaffirmed their governments' commitment to effectively address existing as well as emerging transnational challenges and threats that have the potential to undermine the stability and well-being of countries in the region," the statement read.

The ministers discussed a proposed Plan of Action designed to thwart efforts by the IS militants to carve out a base in the region, including enhancing "the intelligence and information sharing among the all security and intelligence agencies on potential, imminent and real threats."

They also agreed to stop the flow of money to fund terrorist activities in the region, and to contain the spread of terrorism and terrorism-related content in the cyberspace, particularly in social media.

They stressed the need to "prevent and suppress the terrorist exploitation of information and communication technology and the dissemination of terrorist messages."

The ministers also agreed to "prevent and stop the flow of illicit arms and arms smuggling as well as the movement of all terrorists" especially in the areas bordering the three countries.

The joint statement said the ministers are also considering the provision of specialized military and law enforcement training of their law enforcement agencies.

The ministers also discussed ways "to counter the extremist narrative through education, community engagement including the involvement of religious leaders and the promotion of tolerance, moderation and unity in diversity."

They looked at ways to promote "deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration programs as part of comprehensive measures in countering terrorism."

The ministers stressed the need to enhance effort and cooperation in addressing the root causes of underlying conditions of extremism, including but not limited to poverty, narcotics or illegal drugs, crime and social injustice.

Moreover, they stressed the need to promote social and economic development particularly in adjoining areas of the three countries.

"The ministers reiterated their shared view that success in effectively addressing transnational threat can only be achieved through the proper development of strategies, and cooperation in security and intelligence on a regional scale," the ministers said.

The trilateral meeting, which Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte endorsed, was initiated by Indonesia.

It took place as Philippine troops continue to battle with about 500 IS militants, including 40 Indonesian, Malaysian and Middle Eastern terrorists, that overran a southern Philippine city of Marawi since May 23, killing nearly 400 people and forcing more than 200,000 residents to flee.