Fed: Aust. thinks terrorists are training in region

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Fed: Aust. thinks terrorists are training in region

By Linda McSweeny

CANBERRA, April 21 AAP - Australia is working with Indonesia and the United Statesto counter terrorism in South East Asia, with new evidence of networks in the region.

Australia now believed there was evidence of terrorist communications and trainingin the region, including Indonesia, Defence Minister Robert Hill said.

The government did not expect the United States would move on Indonesian targets butsaid both Australia and the US would work with Indonesian authorities on intelligence,he said.

"We think there is evidence of some communication and some training of terrorists acrossinto our region, including Indonesia," Senator Hill told the Seven network.

"And therefore it's in our interests, in the interests of Australians, that we workwith Indonesia to ensure that there's not a threat to Australia arising out of it.

"We're now exchanging more intelligence with them and we want to know who's comingto Australia that might be of interest to us and vice versa," he said.

The government was investigating the possibility of joint naval reconnaissance withIndonesia, he said.

Australia must be prepared and laws needed to be changed to create an offence for terrorismand extend powers to catch suspected terrorists, the minister said.

The government's anti-terror legislation is now before a Senate inquiry after it wasfast-tracked through the House of Representatives earlier in the year.

But Labor's justice spokesman Robert McClelland said the federal opposition believedthe government had to strengthen the laws to ensure they could withstand constitutionalchallenge.

"There is no point exercising power if there is simply going to be a constitutionalchallenge to the exercise of that power," he told ABC television.

"You'd want to see much greater safeguards and to indeed ensure there is appropriatejudicial review to make sure that it's going to operate as intended.

"We've got to ensure that there is a balance there, and we've got to ensure most importantlythat it will work and withstand challenge."

The government has edged closer to gaining access to the second Australian allegedlylinked to terrorist network al-Qaeda, Sydney man Mamdouh Habib.

Habib was initially believed to have been held in Egypt, but the Australian governmentwas never formally advised of his whereabouts, and was unable to confirm his presencethere or allowed to see him.

The father of four was arrested on the Pakistan-Afghan border last October as a suspectedmember of the al-Qaeda, the group accused by the US of the September 11 terrorism.

"Now that he has been returned to the US custody we in fact believe we will have moreready access to him," Senator Hill said.

Habib was due to be transferred to the US-run Camp X-ray prison at Guantanamo Bay inCuba over the weekend.

Another Australian, David Hicks, is also in US custody.

AAP lm/cjh/sb

KEYWORD: TERROR AUST NIGHTLEAD