Asian ports are sitting ducks

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: The Asian ports are the most vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to Israeli-based Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT). There are now cracks in the security shield erected around Asian deep sea ports as evidence is emerging that extremist organizations may be planning to attack terminals and unguarded container ships.

After five years of overhauling lax security only few ports are able to detect potential terrorist threats, while the majority fail to enforce even basic background checks on personnel or limit their access to terminal facilities. The highly recognised Israel-based Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) warned about al-Qaeda's capability to attack maritime targets in Asia. It also identified ports as their soft underbelly.

''They appear to have stayed at least one step ahead of the security services invoked thus far by modifying their recruitment and the organizational structure," researcher Akiva Lorenz is reported to have said, while adding that it is only a matter of time before al-Qaeda succeeds in attacking the West and maritime terrorism is positioned to be their method of choice.

According to the report, Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf Group (considered to have close links to al Queda) are having developed maritime capabilities, as has been proved by Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. LTTE has a ful-fledged airforce in its command. It is also known that much of the expertise acquired by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah have been passed on by al-Qaeda's maritime-operations commander Abdul al-Rahim al-Nashiri before his capture in Aden in November 2002.