http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1330026.htm
Last Update: Wednesday, March 23, 2005. 1:49pm (AEDT) Most terrorism suspects 'remain free' By Jeff Waters for The World Today The director-general of Australian spy agency ASIO says less than 10 per cent of those people associated with Jemaah Islamiah or Al Qaeda in Australia will ever face court. Speaking at an international law conference on the Gold Coast, ASIO director-general Dennis Richardson defended Australia's often-criticised anti-terrorism laws. He said Australian authorities faced an uphill legal battle to prosecute people linked with terrorist organisations. "Probably less than 10 per cent of people in Australia who have or have had a substantive involvement with Al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiah and other like-minded groups will ever face a court of law," Mr Richardson said. "I suspect it would be a similar story in most other countries. "In many cases, the capacity to obtain evidence sufficient to meet proper legal standards is beyond reach. "The great majority of people in Australia who are assessed to have trained with Al Qaeda and associated groups remain free in the community because, among other reasons, the relevant laws did not come into force until July 2002. "But the community has an understandable expectation that the Government will lawfully protect it from the potential threat posed by those substantially involved with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and from those who have undertaken terrorist training. "Equally, it is important that any action taken against such people - monitoring or otherwise - is within a proper legal framework. "Through the ASIO Act, the Australian Parliament has recognised that it is possible for someone to pose a threat to security without necessarily being in breach of the law." Mr Richardson added that further legislation may be needed in the fight against terrorism. "We should also keep an open mind about the need to further develop and make changes to terrorism laws as new issues or challenges are identified, such as the recent legislation here in Australian seeking to provide better protection in criminal proceedings for classified and security sensitive information," he said. Nonsense Mr Richardson raised - and then dismissed - the arguments of civil libertarians who say anti-terrorism laws may impinge upon the freedoms the Government seeks to preserve and so could be seen as a victory for terrorists. "In my view, the notion that such laws constitute a victory for terrorists is sheer nonsense," he said. "Their victory lies in the death of innocent civilians, ours lies in its lawful prevention. The ASIO director-general accused world governments of seriously misjudging the threat posed by Osama Bin Laden and said that even after a series of terrorist attacks, countries took too long to legislate against terrorism. "From where I sit, what stands out over the past decade and more has been the reluctance of countries to introduce laws specifically targeting terrorism," he said. "Whatever the debate about the appropriateness of today's response, what is clear is that the world community did not fully grasp the emergence of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda during the 1990s. "By any yardstick, the response of the United States and the world community to what was unfolding during the 1990s was exceedingly measured and restrained. "September 11 changed all of that for many countries, including Australia. For others, it did not. "For instance Indonesia did not introduce specific terrorism laws until after the attack in Bali on 12 October 2002, the point being that by in large countries have pursued legislative measures only after specific threats and attacks." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. 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