NZ offers to join travel alert list

By AUDREY YOUNG in Santiago

New Zealand is offering to join a pilot programme of the Apec region to swap and store information on travellers in a bid to make travel harder for terrorists and easier for bona fide citizens.

But civil liberties advocates want to see the detail and suspect it could involve more than has been outlined.

Speaking about counter-terrorism to a business leaders summit yesterday, Prime Minister Helen Clark said she hoped New Zealand would be able to take part in Apec's Regional Movements Alert List pilot programme.

But she also sounded warnings about the protection of individual rights in addressing terrorism.

The movement alert list already operates between the United States, Australia and Chile, but the pilot programme will broaden its application to all Apec countries.

An official referred by Helen Clark's office said the list would trace stolen and lost passports.

But the Australian Government's explanation seems much wider, stating: "The movement alerts list stores data on people and travel documents of concern to immigration, law enforcement and security authorities."

Civil liberties concerns were raised from the audience after her speech, which she acknowledged.

"The challenge terrorism poses to the openness of societies is a very difficult challenge because ... individual rights have been very, very important in Western societies."

But the security of the state was also important and it was a matter of finding a balance between the two.

The president of the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties, Tony Ellis, said the group wanted to see the detail of what was being developed.

"The swapping and storing of information can cause concern. Mr Zaoui would be a fine example," he said in reference to the detention of Algerian Ahmed Zaoui as a security risk.

Helen Clark shared the stage yesterday with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

Mr Badawi said his country took 20 years to defeat communist terrorists but the war was not won by military force alone. "We made earnest efforts to understand the underlying causes and grievances of the people."