CANBERRA -- Australian
Justice Minister Michael Keenan announced on Wednesday the establishment of a
new Southeast Asian group to counter the funding of terrorism in the region.
Keenan,
Australia's Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism,
revealed the new South East Asia Counter-Terrorism Financing Working Group (SEA
CTFWG) while speaking at the Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) Summit in Kuala
Lumpur on Wednesday.
The group
will be made up of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries,
which participated in the CTF Summit, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand,
and the Philippines.
The
Australian Transaction and Reports Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and the
Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) will co-lead the group.
It will work
to disrupt the funding of terrorism by countering the exploitation of economic
assets and civilians, preventing groups from providing support to Islamic State
(IS) and preventing the use of international financial systems by terrorists.
"The SEA
CTFWG will coordinate sharing information among financial intelligence units
and other regional agencies that have a role in counter-terrorism
financing," Keenan said in a media release on Wednesday.
"Collectively,
intelligence generated through this initiative will provide regional
authorities and industry partners with greater insights into the movement and
tracking of funds to protect our community and harden our financial system from
the threats of terrorism financing."
The
establishment of SEA CTFWG represents the first investment from the Australian
government's three-year, USD3.4 million package to support AUSTRAC and its
partners as they fight to cut off IS and other extremist organizations in
Southeast Asia. (Xinhua)
No comments:
Post a Comment