Isle could get
security outpostHawaii is said to be an
ideal spot for a homeland
security regional office
The federal Department of Homeland Security could open a regional office in Hawaii once the office decides how best to allocate its resources, agency Secretary Tom Ridge said yesterday.
Gov. Linda Lingle "has made it very clear, as we go about restructuring the department ... that she thinks it would be very, very appropriate for your state to have a significant role," Ridge told delegates to the inaugural Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit and Exposition. Ridge addressed the summit via live video link from his office in Washington, D.C.
Lingle, who has lobbied for a regional office in Hawaii for about a year, said she expects a decision could come in the first quarter of 2004.
"He (Ridge) understands the feelings we have about this and the importance of it," she said. "Gov. Ridge has been here. ... He's well aware of Hawaii's role in this part of the world, and I think we'll be given serious consideration when he has to make a final decision."
Ridge said that Hawaii is an ideal location for a regional office because of its military presence and because the islands often serve as an entry point into the United States for people from the Asia-Pacific region.
Lingle called it premature to discuss the exact role of a regional office in Hawaii. "But we did propose that Hawaii be seen as a center for homeland security throughout the Pacific and Asia regions," she said. "That's always been our vision."
Among summit delegates, American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono also expressed his belief that a regional office of homeland security in the Pacific would be beneficial to the region.
Ridge noted that American Samoa and all U.S. territories would be considered as his office works on its allocation of resources.
"Whatever composition we come up with, given the unique geography of the Pacific, you will be an integral part," Ridge told Tulafono.
More than 600 delegates from 19 countries and territories throughout the United States, Asia and the Pacific Rim are in Honolulu for the first-of-its-kind homeland security summit and exposition.
The three-day event brings together top-level security officials to discuss anti-terrorism strategies and gives businesses an opportunity to promote their security technology.
Citing the latest suicide bombings in Turkey, Ridge reminded delegates that terrorism is a "global scourge, not a regional one."
"A global enemy requires a global response," he said. "No single country can be truly safe without the cooperation and like-minded commitment from all others."
Ridge also talked about "a far more menacing frontier of warfare" being waged by terrorists today.
"While terrorism incidents are down, the number of casualties that result from terrorism are up," Ridge said. "For the first time in the history of humankind, a small group of people, with access to weapons of mass destruction, can wreak untold havoc in our cities and against our nations."
Delegates spoke of the need to prevent terrorism by going after the root causes, calling poverty and inadequate education a breeding ground for terrorism.
Gen. Winai Phattiyakul, secretary-general of the National Security Council of Thailand, called on delegates to work on establishing a joint development program to improve conditions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
"We must reduce and eliminate the negative conditions that lead to unrest and imbalance," he said.
Ridge noted that it is the responsibility of government to secure borders while making sure commerce is not shut down and legitimate immigrants seeking to enter the United States and its allies are not shut out.
"To suggest there is a tradeoff between security and individual freedoms -- that we must discard one protection for the other -- to me is a false choice," he said.
"After all, we do not defend liberty to forsake it."
The summit at the Hilton Hawaiian Village concludes today.
