REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has identified four crucial issues that could disrupt regional security: tension on the Korean Peninsula, disputes over the South China Sea, terrorism threats in the Sulu Sea, and the Rohingya crisis. This statement was made by the minister in a keynote address at the Raisina Dialogue 2018 in New Delhi on Thursday (Jan 18).
Regarding the high tension on the Korean Peninsula, he urged all parties not to be provoked by the situation, which could lead to an escalation of the conflict. "Let us together call on the United Nations to take productive steps to further suppress North Korea in order to better respect international law and order and norms," Ryacudu stated in a press release received by Antara on Friday.
On the other hand, he added, the situation in the South China Sea has eased, and the status quo needs to be maintained. Indonesia, he noted, appreciates China's goodwill in opening itself and is eager to work together in strengthening the regional security architecture. "A very real threat at the moment and needing serious attention and joint action is the danger of terrorism and radicalism," he remarked.
Terrorism and radicalism have become transnational crimes that require collective action through intensive, constructive, and concrete collaboration of capabilities and interstate actions.
In Southeast Asia, the southern Philippines is being used as one of ISIS's strongholds, which has sparked other terrorist acts in the region. The group is consolidating the Daulah Islamiyyah Katibah Nusantara, which is an alliance of the East Asian Islamic State Division, under the control of the Central ISIS structure headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, based in Syria and Iraq.
"In order to overcome the potential threat of terrorism and radicalism, Indonesia and other countries---specifically, the Philippines and Malaysia---have taken concrete steps of cooperation through the establishment of a Trilateral Cooperation Platform in the Sulu Sea by carrying out joint patrol activities," the Defense Minister pointed out.
In addition, he continued, another issue that is of utmost concern is the humanitarian crisis in the Rakhine State, Myanmar. Concrete measures must be adopted to handle the problem adequately, with strong cooperation between Myanmar and Bangladesh, the destination country of Rohingya refugees who have fled their homes due to the escalation in conflicts last year.
To further strengthen the monitoring and early detection system against potential ISIS threats in the region, the Ministry of Defense has issued a new initiative called "Our Eyes" as a strategic intelligence exchange program.
The concept is similar to the Five Eyes model of Western countries that involves the integration of defense and intelligence networks. The concept is based purely on cooperation to overcome the threat of terrorism and radicalism in the region, without any political agenda behind it.
"This concept has been unanimously supported by the ASEAN defense ministers and several partner countries, such as the United States, Australia, Russia, and Japan, who have expressed their desire to join," stated Ryacudu.
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