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By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE FEB. 5. Indonesia's reluctance to act in tandem with Malaysia and Singapore to arrest and crack down on terrorist suspects is coming under increased focus in South-East Asia. As the United States makes a model out of the Philippines in the second front (after Afghanistan) in the battle against terrorism, Washington is clearly dissatisfied with what the Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, is doing on the issue.

In a recent speech, the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Franklin L. Lavin, said: "Many press reports have stated that several of the terrorists who were planning the attacks here in Singapore have fled to Indonesia. President Megawati has stated that she fully supports the global anti-terrorist coalition so we look forward to Indonesia's follow-up as well.''

Mr. Lavin may have spoken gently; but he's made the American position clear. As the U.S. moves to restore ties with the Indonesian military, Washington wants Ms. Megawati's Government to crack down on militant elements within Indonesia. A top cleric, who hails Osama bin Laden and is believed to be linked to the Jemaah Islamiah group busted in Singapore, was questioned after considerable delay, and then let off for lack of evidence. All this, clearly, is going against Indonesia.

But, given the fact that neighbouring Philippines is being totally cooperative in battling terrorism, the Indonesians can come under considerable pressure from the United States. Groups like the Laskar Jihad and several other militant outfits have had no problems in functioning as Ms. Megawati has prevaricated in her domestic battle against Islamist militants. In his speech, Mr. Lavin suggested that the United States might strike terrorist groups before they were able to launch any operation. "We must remain on the offensive - including, sometimes, by using military force,'' America's envoy to Singapore said. ``In this (South-East Asian) region, there are particular challenges and sensitivities. The easy, rapid, and frequent movements of terrorists within the region again tells us that a better job needs to be done with border controls. Some of this is police work and some of this is re-examining visa requirements,'' Mr. Lavin said.

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