Mr Teo said concerted multilateral cooperation is needed. -- PHOTO: ZAOBAO
THE GLOBAL economic downturn will increase the seriousness of terrorism threats, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, piracy and the consequences of natural disasters and pandemics, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the start of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference at Sheraton Towers, Mr Teo said: "These problems are now compounded and made more acute by the severe economic crisis that the world is facing."
He told the 50 intelligence experts from 25 countries that the hardships will "create additional social and political stresses and could lead to greater friction and tensions."
This was what happened in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, noted Mr Teo. Calling for multilateral cooperation, he said the challenges could not be resolved by any single country.
The minister cited the cooperation among Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, which has helped reduce piracy in the Straits of Malacca from 21 incidents in 2004 to six last year because of regular sea and air patrols.
Together with Japan and other regional countries, Singapore has also established the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia or ReCAAP.
This facility provides accurate reports of piracy incidents and allows the sharing of expertise among the 14 member countries.
Attending the conference are military intelligence representatives from countries including Australia, China, France, Mongolia, Nepal and New Zealand.
Welcoming them, Brigadier-General Tan Meng Dui said the usefulness of the conference could be gauged by the increase in attendance.
"From 18 countries at the first conference in Kuala Lumpur in 2007, it has grown to 25, and from nine intelligence chiefs then to 16 now," said BG Tan, SAF's director of military intelligence.
Rear-Admiral Michael Rogers, the director of intelligence with the United States Pacific Command, reiterated the necessity of sharing information and intelligence on global security threats.
"No country is so large that it can do everything on its own. Neither can one country be so small that it can never contribute to the rest," he said.
