SOUTH-EAST ASIA: The US military role in the region is likely to have major impact on South East Asia, reports Miriam Donohoe
The presence of US troops on the streets of the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga this week is the first sign that the United States has switched its focus in the war against terrorism from Afghanistan to South East Asia.
This latest phase in the battle against Muslim extremists has been heralded by the arrival of the first 240 of 660 US soldiers on Philippine soil. Their role is to assist the country's army in its efforts to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, a group with links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network .
South-east Asia is regarded as an important front in this war. It is home to one third, or 200 million, of the world's Muslim population. Malaysia and Indonesia have Muslim majorities. While most of the region's people do not support terrorism, they provide fertile ground for al-Qaeda to recruit fighters, raise money and find safe shelter.
Evidence of this has emerged in recent weeks. In Singapore a terrorist cell alleged to have links with al-Qaeda was exposed and 13 members rounded up. They were preparing to bomb US targets, according to police.
There has also been a wave of arrests of alleged al-Qaeda members in Malaysia. The authorities there have been extremely zealous in hunting down Islamic militants since September 11th, and have arrested more than 30 alleged terrorists. It has emerged that one of the September 11th hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar, visited Kuala Lumpur in 2000 to meet a member of al-Qaeda.
Here in the Philippines, four suspects have been apprehended and a cache of weapons and explosives unearthed. One of the four is Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi who is believed to be a trainer and bomb- maker with a local Muslim group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The son of one of the group's commanders is suspected of being responsible for the murder last August of the Irish missionary priest, Fr Rufus Halley.
The one reluctant player in the war against terrorism in south-east Asia is Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country with 170 million followers of Islam. Indonesia's Muslim leaders are already critical of the increasing US presence in the region.
US officials for their part have grown weary with the Indonesian President, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, because of her failure to crack down on extremist groups. Last week the US Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Frank Lavin, publicly called on the Indonesian leader to follow up on the arrests made in Singapore and Malaysia. Senior Indonesian officials say they they have yet to find enough evidence.
Various factors have made the region a safe haven for fundamentalist groups sympathetic to Osama bin Laden, and an ideal launch pad from which he could mount terrorist attacks on the United States. The region is riddled with corrupt law enforcement agencies, backlogged judicial systems and inadequate international co-operation.
Officially the US soldiers are here on a training mission. However there is huge concern in the Philippines as to what precisely the US role will be. While the US insists its will be non-aggressive and that it is here to assist Philippine soldiers, there are fears that its role may develop into a combative one.
This week the US military leader here gave the first indication that the United States would be involved in combat for self- defence purposes. He made it clear that in a situation where a soldier is under attack, it is up to him to defend himself.
The Basilan operations are expected to begin later this month, when special forces soldiers will go to the island to start training with Philippine scout rangers.
The terms of reference governing who will command the joint exercise were finalised yesterday after two weeks of argument between both sides. Details of the guidelines have not been released, but the Philippine army will have overall "control" while senior US military chiefs will retain "command" over their men.
One Philippine officer said the possibility of having US troops controlling the situation was a cause of huge concern. He asked pontedly who had controlled the situation in Vietnam.
The US selected the Philippines as its second front mainly because of support received from the Philippine President, Mrs Gloria Arroyo. But according to a Philippine Senator, Mr Sergio Osmena, it is more symbolism than anything else. "We are talking about a move against a group of 80 out-of-control rebel guerrillas, most of them aged under 30. It is a problem that we should have sorted out ourselves but due to corruption and problems in the military this has not happened," he told The Irish Times.
"The reality is the American troops are here to help us sort out a law and order problem. They are doing our peace work for us," he said.
The United States may use its current military deployment in the Philippines to realign its forces towards the region. At present Washington has six military hubs in the Asia Pacific but they are all oriented towards North East Asia where the US forces are positioned for a potential conflict in the Korean peninsula. It has had no permanent military base in Southeast Asia since the closing of its 100-year-old Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines in 1992.
According to one diplomat, a quick clean victory in the Philippines would be a vital stabilising factor for the country and for the region. Other governments would want to work with the US in similar situations.
However, he also warned that a protracted campaign with the Abu Sayyaf getting support from outside forces could be destabilising and dangerous.