THE 2018 SOUTHEAST ASIA COUNTER-TERRORISM SYMPOSIUM: A COLLECTIVE APPRAOCH

The 2018 Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism (CT) Symposium: A Collective Approach Symposium was organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with support from the Ministries of Culture, Community and Youth; Defence; Foreign Affairs; Home Affairs; the National Security Coordination Secretariat; and the Prime Minister’s Office. On 4 and 5 October 2018, more than 200 delegates and participants heard presentations from over 20 distinguished speakers on issues relating to countering violent extremism (CVE) at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore.

In his opening remarks, RSIS Executive Deputy Chairman (EDC) Ambassador Ong Keng Yong stressed the need for a “multi-year, multi-pronged effort that will be needed not just to defeat not just ISIS, but an intolerant ideology that comes with it”. He highlighted that the Symposium would cover issues such as building societal resilience against terrorism; enhancing the region’s ability to tackle the increasingly militarised terror networks; tapping technological advancements for CT; and exploring areas of cooperation to enhance ASEAN’s collective CT capacity.

Indonesian Defence Minister GEN (Ret) Ryamizard Ryacudu delivered an overview of emerging threats in ASEAN. Ryacudu discussed how the “threat has decentralised from a centralised Islamic State (IS) spreading worldwide after the dismantling of IS in Iraq and Syria”. In conclusion, he highlighted the regional partnerships that have led to successes in both “operational and intelligence fronts”.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs was Guest of Honour at the Symposium’s official dinner. He highlighted Singapore’s proposal for the “Resilience, Response, and Recovery” (3R) Framework for counter-terrorism, which ASEAN Member States can apply for their own national initiatives. In closing, Dr Maliki highlighted that “a prepared and alert citizenry can contribute in tangible ways to prevent, deal with and respond to security threats”.