13 May 2004

Pacific will struggle with anti-terrorism conventions, says Samoa

10:54 am on 13 May 2004

Samoa's attorney general, Brenda Heather says money laundering in the Pacific region could be used to assist terrorism.

She is one of the government officials from around the Pacific, who have just attended a counter-terrorism meeting in Wellington.

Brenda Heather says the calibre of officials participating in the roundtable, shows all of them are taking the threat of terrorism, seriously.

She says the reality of Bali makes every country a terrorist target, including the Pacific.

"No place is a safe haven anymore. And I think we're starting to come to that realisation that our beautiful idyllic Pacific also attracts people that think that we're an easy touch. And there's a reality, in that with some of the things, that have been going on financially in the region, and I think terrorism will just be another possibility."

Brenda Heather says signing up on all the international conventions is evident that the Pacific is not an easy touch.

She says while it may seem a big ask to comply with the UN security conventions, she says it's not insurmountable.