What are some of the threats to security in your region?
The world today is going through a period of violence and it is becoming increasingly evident that the greatest threat comes from terrorism and transnational crime. These two sources of insecurity span national boundaries. Perpetrators of transnational crime target economics political and social systems, challenging states. Today the focus is on religious terrorism which is not a new phenomenon. The Tokyo subway attack of Aum Shinrikyo and the Air India disaster are examples of religious terrorism. There is the widespread view that the new world order is responsible for many of the ills of society and this view has influenced a considerable number of people, in some countries anti-Americanism is gaining ground. Standards of life have fallen and poor governance and lack of protection of civil liberties have Sent credence to the view of the extremists that the West is responsible for the existing mess. People join terrorist groups for various reasons. Religious terrorist leaders encourage activists by holding out the promise of heavenly rewards. Leaders provide material benefits to the recruits and compensation for those who die for their cause. The scope for adventure and friendship attracts many. There is glamour in holding a gun and the group engenders courage in the individual. For those who are desperate and have no hopes in life, death in action is the ultimate escape from life’s dilemmas. All of us in the region ought to be aware of the explosive situation that prevails. The concerns of the leaders of the region are a feature of our daily lives.
The attack on World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on 11th September 2001 represented a new class of non-state terrorist attack. This new kind of terrorism, whether ‘mass casualty bombing’ or suicide bombing belongs to a new class of threats confronting Southeast Asia. These threats stem from economic causes, environmental degradation and loss of natural resources. Unregulated population movements, virulent strains of infectious deseases and the external forces acting on traditional beliefs and practices are also responsible. The risk to the security of the region is greater because of large populations and pockets of poverty and ethnic and religious diversity. The states in Southeast isa are comprised of developing states which are susceptible to the flow criminals and those resorting to illegal means to make money. The transborder and internal fingra Jon irrtensffy the problem of governance. Terrorists intimidate or coerce a population or a government. They use unlawfull force and even violence, without regard to the number of casualties to further their airns which may be ideological or social. There are mass casualty bomfciog» that target hundreds of deaths. The Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) who have been fighting for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka practise mass casualty bombing arid their suicide bombers have killed many. Mass casualty bombers belong to different terrorist groups, and some of them are state-trained are capable of striker in any part of the world.
Smuggling people by transnational organisations is a source of insecurity in the region. There are small-time operators and sophisticated syndicates engaged in people smuggling. There are global networks to facilitate this thriving trade and the smuggling of drugs and other contraband. Demongraphic, economic and environmental factos are responsible for swelling the ranks of those willing to be smuggled. Success stories of those who found refuge in other countries have made emigration a viable option.
Narcotics trafficking is another threat. Terrorist organisations naturally smuggle drugs to finance their operations. Heroin from Pakistan and Afghanistan has been smuggled to China’s Xingjiang Province to encourage the separation movement there. There are criminal gangs which pursue their interests by resorting to illegal drug trade. There are drug smuggling syndicates that provide armed support and protection to drug caravans to ply their trade in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The flow of narcotics from Myanmar frustrates Thailand’s effort to control this trade. A decade ago Thailand’s National Security Council declared the narcotics trade as the number one threat to national security. The different threats are often interconnected. Insurgents and terrorists make common cause, and drug traffickers are their allies.
The attack on World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on 11th September 2001 represented a new class of non-state terrorist attack. This new kind of terrorism, whether ‘mass casualty bombing’ or suicide bombing belongs to a new class of threats confronting Southeast Asia. These threats stem from economic causes, environmental degradation and loss of natural resources. Unregulated population movements, virulent strains of infectious deseases and the external forces acting on traditional beliefs and practices are also responsible. The risk to the security of the region is greater because of large populations and pockets of poverty and ethnic and religious diversity. The states in Southeast isa are comprised of developing states which are susceptible to the flow criminals and those resorting to illegal means to make money. The transborder and internal fingra Jon irrtensffy the problem of governance. Terrorists intimidate or coerce a population or a government. They use unlawfull force and even violence, without regard to the number of casualties to further their airns which may be ideological or social. There are mass casualty bomfciog» that target hundreds of deaths. The Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) who have been fighting for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka practise mass casualty bombing arid their suicide bombers have killed many. Mass casualty bombers belong to different terrorist groups, and some of them are state-trained are capable of striker in any part of the world.
Smuggling people by transnational organisations is a source of insecurity in the region. There are small-time operators and sophisticated syndicates engaged in people smuggling. There are global networks to facilitate this thriving trade and the smuggling of drugs and other contraband. Demongraphic, economic and environmental factos are responsible for swelling the ranks of those willing to be smuggled. Success stories of those who found refuge in other countries have made emigration a viable option.
Narcotics trafficking is another threat. Terrorist organisations naturally smuggle drugs to finance their operations. Heroin from Pakistan and Afghanistan has been smuggled to China’s Xingjiang Province to encourage the separation movement there. There are criminal gangs which pursue their interests by resorting to illegal drug trade. There are drug smuggling syndicates that provide armed support and protection to drug caravans to ply their trade in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The flow of narcotics from Myanmar frustrates Thailand’s effort to control this trade. A decade ago Thailand’s National Security Council declared the narcotics trade as the number one threat to national security. The different threats are often interconnected. Insurgents and terrorists make common cause, and drug traffickers are their allies.
What are some of the threats to security in your region?
Reviewed by Jame Collins
on
1:19 AM
Rating:
Reviewed by Jame Collins
on
1:19 AM
Rating:
No comments: