Counter-terrorism conference kicks off in Indonesia

An international conference on fighting terrorism has kicked off in Indonesia to strengthen global cooperation in the fight against the growing threat of extremism.

Government and security experts from 20 countries have attended the two-day ministerial meeting, which opened on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday.

The participants discussed ways to counter terrorist activities around the world in light of recent attacks, calling for greater cooperation in intelligence-sharing and more measures to deter flows of “terrorism financing.”

“Cyber technology should be utilized to prevent terrorist networks from using the Internet as mean of propaganda, recruitment, cyber-attacks and cyber-crime,” said Indonesian Chief Security Minister Wiranto, who chaired the meeting.

The official underlined the need for monitoring the returning foreign terrorists “through cooperation on intelligence- and information-sharing as well as best practices on border control.”

Deputy Executive Director of UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Chen Weixiong also attended the meeting.

The UN official expressed the world body’s support for the member states to “combat terrorism and address the drivers of violent extremism.”

“Capacity building measures, the sharing of good practices and measures to strengthen international and regional cooperation are more essential than ever,” he said.

The meeting came just days after Indonesian forces arrested six men plotting a "rocket attack" on Singapore.

The men are said to have been taking instructions from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian who has joined the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria.

Indonesian investigators believed Naim is one of the masterminds behind a January attack claimed by Daesh in the capital, Jakarta, that killed eight people, including four attackers.

Following the attack, Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for amendments to the country's anti-terrorism law, stressing the urgency of the adoption of a clear policy and laws banning the return of militants from conflict regions.

Senior officials in Jakarta believe that roughly 500 Indonesians have traveled to the Middle East region to join the Daesh terrorists and other militant groups. Nearly 100 are believed to have returned to the Southeast Asian country in recent months.

Indonesia's law enforcement agencies argue that current laws to combat militancy, put in place in 2003, are inadequate.

In December last year, the New York-based intelligence consultancy, Soufan Group, said in a report that between 27,000 and 31,000 foreigners from some 86 countries had joined Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Daesh terrorists have repeatedly called on the group’s members to carry out attacks in their home countries.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk