Combating Security Threats Should be a Common Cause

Posted by AsiaViews | Oct 2, 2017 | 0 |

CHINA

China Daily

Sept 27, 2017

In the keynote speech he delivered at the opening of the 86th General Assembly of International Criminal Police Organization held in Beijing on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping praised Interpol for the role it plays in maintaining world security and stability.

The meeting offered an opportunity for China to strengthen its cooperation with the international law enforcement organization, and Xi vowed to continuously extend China’s support to the organization so it can play a bigger role in international law enforcement and global security governance.

Since its founding more than 90 years ago, Interpol’s role in deepening international law enforcement cooperation and effectively tackling crime worldwide has become increasingly important as organized criminal activities have expanded across borders and nontraditional security threats have become more complex.

As evidence of this, Chinese police handled 2,542 investigative requests from foreign police forces that were transmitted via Interpol last year, up 140 percent from the year before.

In recognition of China’s past support for the organization, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was elected president of the organization at Interpol’s 85th General Assembly held in Bali, Indonesia, in November.

Given the global challenge of combating corruption, terrorism, cyber crimes, people trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering, Xi’s pledge of practical support will be of great value to enhance the effectiveness of international law enforcement efforts.

And considering the increasingly interconnected, cross-border and diversified nature of global security issues in the world today, people will understand why Xi stressed in his speech China’s willingness to work with other countries and their law enforcement bodies to build a community of shared security.

It is China’s belief that greater cooperation and strengthened efforts are also needed to ensure countries have the capability to fulfill that shared responsibility to fight transnational criminal activities and nontraditional security threats.

As Xi said, the diversity of such crimes and threats is becoming ever more prominent and no country is immune to them. Such a perception explains why China has made unremitting efforts to seek security cooperation with other countries and international organizations such as Interpol.

All countries should realize they share a common cause in fighting crime and promoting security, and they should strive to work together for the good of all.

(source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2017-09/27/content_32537089.htm)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Combating Security Threats Should be a Common Cause