ASEAN EFFORTS TO COUNTER TERRORISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A STUDY ON ABU SAYYAF GROUP AND JEMAAH ISLAMIYAH (2002-2016)

Abstract

Terrorism has always been an issue in Southeast Asia, with history going back tomore than half a century ago. After the 9/11 tragedy in the United States, followed by the attack in Bali and cities in the Philippines in 2002, the dawning realization finally came to mind. Terrorism has turned to be one of the major threat to the regional security in Southeast Asia. As a regional organization, ASEAN of course plays a role in countering the trans-national crime beginning by releasing the 2001 Joint Declaration on Counter-terrorism all the way to the 2007 ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism. This study aims to provide an information on ASEAN�s counter-terrorism strategy, and its implementation of the strategy in facing the terrorism threat posed by Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah. In order to do so, it would also elaborate on the terrorist groups. The time frame of the study is limited to between 2002 and 2016, as those are the years where both ASEAN and the terrorist groups in SeA are more active than ever. The study conducted is based on the qualitative method of analysis, based on literature studies on various sources such as books, journals, news, and other sources.