HONOLULU (Pacific Islands Report/PINA) — The international airports lack X-ray machines. Drug trafficking and money laundering are growing problems. It’s easy to slip through immigration with false passports.
The small, remote Pacific island nations fear terrorists are eyeing them as staging areas to carry out violence in the United States and elsewhere.
Even though they know their needs are low on the U.S. priority list, leaders and representatives from 11 countries meeting at the East-West Center agreed to ask the U.S. government for training and resources to identify and combat terrorism.
“Just because our region is relatively peaceful does not mean nothing is happening,” said Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, one of the leaders attending a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders.
“I don’t think we should be complacent. The Pacific island countries will be used to stage activity elsewhere.”
Leo Falcam, president of the Federated States of Micronesia and chairman of the meeting, said terrorists are aware that the islands lack protection.
“People are very vulnerable to tactics used by terrorists. Someone says ‘Here is $20,000, we need a place to stay and property to build on.’ It’s going to happen. I’d rather prevent than react.”
Adm. Dennis Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, offered no false hope to leaders. “Cooperation with Pacific islands will come in time but it’s lower on the priority list than Southeast Asia…. Our hands are full now with the terrorism we know about.”
While there is potential for terrorist activity in the Pacific islands, Blair said there is “not very hard evidence.” But he added that “the more you look, the more you find. Terrorists seem to look for new routes.”
Blair said sharing intelligence with U.S. officials and offering verbal support was the best way island nations could help the war against terrorism.
Falcam said island officials will meet this month in Hawaii for training with U.S. and Australian experts on detecting terrorist activity.
