Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, at the ‘9th Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Council Meeting’ in Melbourne, Australia, on March 14, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA) In the Southeast Asian region, terrorism and radicalism still pose serious threats, the Indonesian minister said at the meeting held in Melbourne, noting that terrorism is a latent threat, driven by ideological, political, and social conflicts, and that is why cooperation between Indonesia and Australia is required at various levels to eradicate the threat.
Various terror groups affiliated with ISIS and Al Qaeda still have the potential to disrupt regional stability, he said.
During the meeting, the two ministers also talked about Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF), online radicalisation, the radicalisation of women and the younger generation, as well as the progress of efforts made to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
Radicalisation through social media or the Internet requires more attention, considering that most of the terror attacks are carried out by lone wolves, and most of the perpetrators are victims of radicalisation via social media or the Internet, Mahfud said.
Furthermore, Indonesia and Australia have collaborated well in combating terrorism and violent extremism through various forms of bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation, he added.
At the sub-regional level, the two countries co-chaired the “Sub-Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security”.
Indonesia and Australia also co-chaired the “Senior Official Counter-Terrorism Policy Forum (SOCTPF) Meeting./.
VNA
