Malaysia has been arresting suspected Islam extremists, holding many under the ISA, for several years. While many were suspicious that another political agenda to keep the ruling Barisan Nasional UMNO dominated regime in power was in the forefront, the attack on the US has quickly made this an international issue.

Less evident to the rest of the world, Indonesia's progress has been hamstrung for many years by violence associated with Islam militancy, often associated with demands for Islamic law and independence for certain provinces. While Indonesian authorities claim there is no evidence of Al Quaida activity, similar groups certainly exist.

While not quite as insidious, the Philippines suffers from similar problems, well documented in Clarence Henderson's "Pearl of the Orient Seas column on the APMF.

All was brought to a head with the release of information on the arrest of 15 militants in Singapore last month in the last week. Singapore harbours major concerns about the rise of both support for Islam fundamentalism and militancy in the region, themselves a highly prosperous predominatly Chinese island state, surrounded by less politically stable countries.

The link below refers to Singapore PM Goh's warning that SE Asia must address this issue. It has been a long time coming, mainly becuase of Singapore's reluctance to be seen to be "interfering" in the affairs of other ASEAN members. Now with evidence that US businesses in Singapore were being targeted, Singapore sees their entry into the debate as being more justified.

Singapore: Asia Must Confront Terror

SINGAPORE (AP) - Asia must act quickly to tackle the threat of the al-Qaida network in the region, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said Sunday after the discovery of a suspected terrorist cell with al-Qaida links that allegedly plotted to bomb Western embassies.