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Friday, June 11, 2010 - 5.25 GMT |
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Regional Police & prosecutors discuss effectively countering terrorism in South Asia |
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Police and prosecutors from all countries of South Asia met in Colombo this week considered steps to strengthen international cooperation in investigations and prosecution, including the possibility of developing a joint regional training mechanism.
The three-day workshop which concluded yesterday provided an unconventional forum for senior-level police officers and prosecutors to consider specific issues that arise in counter-terrorism cases.
The workshop was hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka, in association with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). It was organized by the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), based in Colombo, and the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, a U.S.-based think tank. It was organized with the support of the Governments of Australia and Canada.
Participants at the workshop included police and prosecutors from all eight member States of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Their discussions were facilitated with input from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the US Federal Bureau of Investigations and the US Marshals Service. The SAARC Secretariat also participated as an observer.
At the Colombo workshop, the police participating in the discussion focused primarily on methods of terrorist financing, including connections to organized crime, while prosecutors focused on measures to strengthen witness protection. Both groups also discussed the central role of fair treatment, due process and human rights in effectively countering terrorism.
Broader goals of the process are to help build trust and promote the cross-border working relationships necessary to counter terrorism effectively and to lay the foundations for improved regional counterterrorism cooperation.
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