Roundup: Defense ministers, officials emphasize cooperation to combat global terrorism at Shangri-La Dialogue

Defense ministers, military officials and experts called for cooperation between countries to combat terrorism during the ongoing 15th Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday.

During a luncheon hosted by Singapore Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen for participating ministers and their representatives, the ministers had an in-depth discussion on the global threat of terrorism.

The ministers viewed terrorism as a clear and present threat that no country can single-handedly manage given its amorphous and transboundary nature. They also talked about the threat of home-grown terrorists, Islamophobia, the danger of marginalizing moderate Muslims, and the battle of ideology against Islamic State (IS).

They stressed that international and regional cooperation was necessary to effectively prevent terrorists from gaining a foothold in this region, especially given the threat of returning fighters.

At a forum on the same day, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the fight against IS has become "one of our greatest challenges today."

He added that combating terrorism needs cooperation between countries in a non-traditional way.

"The scale and economic capability of IS is stronger than al-Qaida. They have telecommunication and military facilities, so the conventional way of anti-terrorism no longer works," he said. "We need a different strategy, a more tailored approach that moves past outmoded forms of conventional warfare."

The minister also urged countries to promote the awareness of terrorism or extremism among the public, and work together to exchange expertise and enhance coordination.

Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, acting chief of staff of the Philippines armed forces, said terrorism is "no doubt" the worst security issue in this generation. However, he stressed that terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region is different from IS in the Middle East.

"The social and political situation, which are much better than the Middle East, does not provide hotbeds for radical terrorism, so extreme terrorism will not take root in this area. But the ideology of Jihad does exist in the region," he added.

Therefore, he proposed countries enhance cooperation in areas such as transnational maritime cooperation as well as information sharing and social media.

"Terrorist activities aim to trigger fear of civil society, and also try to inspire other groups to follow suit. They spread their Jihad ideology on the internet, which all countries should pay attention to, and collaborate with each other to implement online sanctions," Miranda said.

Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu also called on countries in the region to make a "more serious and concerted effort" to defeat IS.

"It's not easy because the threats are new ... but it can be done if we share good practices with those going through (radicalism) around the globe, networking and sharing intelligence among different agencies," he noted.

Over 560 delegates from 52 nations and regions, including 32 official delegations, attended the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asia-Pacific defense and security summit, which kicked off here on Friday. Endit