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July 27, 2005

MINDFUL of the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism, which, inter alia, undertakes to strengthen cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels to prevent, disrupt, and combat terrorism in a comprehensive manner;

REAFFIRMING their determination to prevent, suppress and eliminate international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations (UN), international law and all the relevant UN resolutions or declarations on international terrorism, and reaffirming that the UN should play a major role in combating terrorism;

REAFFIRMING the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other States;

REJECTING any attempt to associate terrorism with any religion, race or nationality;

RECOGNISING that successfully eliminating terrorism requires a comprehensive approach that includes addressing its root causes;

REAFFIRMING their unequivocal condemnation of ail acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever and by whomsoever committed, as criminal and unjustifiable;

RECOGNISING that the threat of terrorism remains a global security concern and determined to address the threat posed by terrorists to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region;

RECALLING the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Republic of Korea signed on 30 November 2004 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in which the parties reaffirmed the spirit of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the shared recognition of the importance of counter terrorism cooperation;

ACKNOWLEDGING the efforts and remarkable achievements made by the ASEAN Member Countries and the Republic of Korea in the fight against terrorism and welcoming the enhanced counter-terrorism measures taken by the Participants in preventing the recurrence of terrorist attacks;

DESIRING to strengthen and expand cooperation to fight international terrorism through the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC), being the leading body for combating terrorism in ASEAN, the AMMTC+3 process, and other mechanisms as appropriate;

ENCOURAGED by the strong cooperation between the Member Countries of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea on security, intelligence and law enforcement matters, and desiring to strengthen and expand this cooperation to fight international terrorism through the AMMTC and other mechanisms;

SOLEMNLY DECLARE AS FOLLOWS:

Objectives

1. This Declaration defines an effective framework for cooperation to prevent, disrupt and combat international terrorism through the exchange and flow of information, intelligence, technical assistance in the area of law enforcement, capacity building and sharing of best practices as well as to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to combat terrorism.

2. The Participants emphasise that the purpose of this cooperation is to enhance the efficacy of those efforts to combat terrorism.

Scope and Areas of Cooperation

3. The Participants stress their commitment to abide by the principles laid out in this Joint Declaration, in accordance with their respective domestic laws and their specific circumstances, in any or all of the following activities, and to review them at an appropriate time through existing ASEAN-ROK mechanisms:

i. Strengthen exchange of information and law enforcement cooperation on the activities of terrorists and terrorist organisations, especially through extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to bring terrorists to justice;

ii. Ensure the early conclusion and implementation of all relevant international counter-terrorism conventions and protocols and the full compliance of all the relevant UN resolutions on international terrorism, including UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1269, 1373, 1390. 1455,1456,1540, and 1566;

iii. Strengthen necessary measures to counter and prevent the financing of terrorists and terrorist organisations and the use of alternative means of remittance such as illegal money transfer;

iv. Strengthen cooperation in immigration controls to prevent the movement of terrorists and provide assistance to address border management and immigration control challenges, including document and identity fraud, and to effectively stem the flow of terrorist-related material, money and people;

v. Develop cooperation to enhance national transport security, including aviation, container and maritime security, as agreed in the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN+3 process;

vi. Strengthen capacity-building efforts through training and education, consultations between officials, analysts and field operators, convening of seminars/conferences and joint projects as appropriate;

vii. Develop cooperative projects with the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) in Malaysia, the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Thailand and the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) in Indonesia;

viii. Develop cooperation programmes and projects in the areas identified above; and

ix. Continue to support development projects that aim at reducing poverty and socio-economic disparity and injustices, as well as promoting the elevation of standard of living, in particular of underprivileged groups and people in underdeveloped areas.

4. The Participants, who have not done so, are encouraged to become parties to all the 13 United Nations conventions and protocols relating to counter-terrorism as soon as possible.

5. The participants are encouraged to promote cooperation in the areas identified above through existing ASEAN-ROK mechanisms.

6. Each Participant is called upon to designate a contact point for the purposes of implementing this Joint Declaration.

Disclosure of Information

7. The Participants expect that confidential information, documents or data received in connection with this Joint Declaration shall not be disclosed or distributed to any third party, at any time, except to the extent agreed in writing by the Participant that provided the information and the requesting Participant.

Implementation

8. All the Participants are urged to promote and implement, effectively and in good faith, the provisions of this Joint Declaration in all its aspects.

DONE in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on the Twenty-Seventh of July in the Year Two Thousand and Five, in two original copies in the English Language.