Lessons should be learned from Europe’s Schengen Agreement, which allows the free movement of people across the borders of 26 countries.
While it facilitates trade and tourism, it also allows criminals to enter a country,
commit crimes and flee over the border
easily.
Two recent examples are the November 2015 Paris attacks, where the killers slipped into Paris from Belgium, and last December’s attack in Berlin, where the suspect managed to flee Germany and reach Italy via France.
We live in difficult times. It is manifestly hard to balance basic freedoms with the potential security threats those freedoms pose to innocent people.
I hope Asean will ensure that the most comprehensive security measures are in place as member states forge a single shipping and aviation market and make border crossings easier for buses.
Agnes Sng Hwee Lee
(Straits Times/ANN)