Australian Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday he was prepared to act against terrorists in neighboring countries and that international law and the UN Charter should be changed to empower nations to strike pre-emptively against terrorists who plan to attack them.
His comments sparked immediate outrage from governments across Asia.
Australia has one of the most powerful militaries in its region -- with a modern air force and experienced special forces.
Howard's comments come as his nation nervously watches how Southeast Asian countries to its north deal with Islamic militants in the wake of the Oct. 12 bombings on Bali. The attack left nearly 200 people dead -- almost half of them Australian tourists.
The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for the carnage.
Though dozens of suspected Jemaah Islamiyah operatives have been jailed, many more are still believed to be operational. Australia has boosted security at its embassies overseas and warned that terrorists may also attack within Australia. Last week, Australia closed its mission in the Philippines, citing a specific and credible terror threat.
"It stands to reason that if you believe that somebody was going to launch an attack on your country, either of a conventional kind or a terrorist kind, and you had a capacity to stop it and there was no alternative other than to use that capacity, then of course you would have to use it," he told Australian television's Channel Nine.
Asked if that meant taking pre-emptive action against terrorists in a neighboring country, Howard said: "Oh yes. I think any Australian prime minister would."
Later in the interview, he declined to give details when asked if Australian commandos could be used.
"There's no situation that I'm aware of at the moment that raises that issue and I don't really want to go down that path any further," he said.
Howard's comments prompted immediate reaction.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marti Natalegawa said Australia did not have the right to launch military strikes in other countries and that "states cannot willy-nilly flout international law and norms."
Indonesian legislator Alvin Lie said Howard's statement "is very dangerous" and that the Australian leader "should learn to control himself."
Thailand's government spokesman Ratthakit Manathat said: "Nobody does anything like this. Each country has its own sovereignty, that must be protected."
Philippine National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said Howard's comments were "not wise," adding that they don't "follow ... the doctrine of peacekeeping and sovereignty." A leftist group there said it would protest against Australia.
Canberra, a longtime ally of the US, has proved its military capabilities.
In 1999, it sent thousands of troops into East Timor as peacekeepers when Indonesia's army and its militia proxies killed hundreds of people after the territory voted in a UN-sponsored referendum for independence.
It also deployed special forces to Afghanistan last year to help US troops root out Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants.
Howard last week said Australia was drafting military contingency plans for a possible war in Iraq following talks with US officials.
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