INDIA NEEDS TO DEVELOP INFO-TECH TO COMBAT TERRORISM

By P. Vijian

NEW DELHI, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- India must acquire new technologies and
develop information sharing methods to tear down the growing web of terrorism
inside and outside the country.

"As terrorism knows no address", former United States (US) secretary of
defence William Cohen said, it was a common threat globally and could happen
anywhere.

Speaking to an elite group of participants, both from the civil and
military, about a week before the first anniversary of the Mumbai carnage where
terrorists killed over 170 people, he recalled: "I stayed at the Taj (hotel
in Mumbai) to present a paper, and left four days before the attack.

"The floor where I stayed was destroyed in the attack," he said at the 4th
International Conference on Energising Indian Aerospace Industry in Delhi
Thursday.

In that incident on Nov 26, last year, India faced the worst terror attacks
on its soil when a group of heavily-armed terrorists went on a shooting rampage
in Mumbai landmark sites and held captive guests in two five-star hotels for
almost three days.

Cohen, once a powerful figure in former US president Bill Clinton's
administration, said gathering intelligence and sharing with the relevant
security agencies were crucial to curb terror groups from spreading their
activities.

"How to gather intelligence in a democracy (society), sharing them and
building intelligence data base are key in dealing with terrorism.

"It is good that technology is being distributed very fast across the globe
but the same technology available to (Microsoft founder) Bill Gates is also
available to (Al-Qaeda terrorist supremo) Osama bin Laden.

"So, we need to look beyond the horizon to acquire and develop technology
fast," he added.

Cohen served as defence secretary from 1997-2001.
-- BERNAMA