ITIO SUPPORTS FIGHTS AGAINST TERRORISM, WARNS ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Extract from "The World", Public Radio International, 25 September 2001

Announcer: “The Bush Administration today announced that, as part of its war against terrorism, the US government is going to deal a financial blow to Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. The president signed an executive order freezing US-based financial assets that are suspected of belong to terrorists and their organizations. And he called for the international community to do the same. The World's Clark Boyd reports.”

Clark Boyd: “... And then there’s offshore banking, with its tight secrecy laws and spotty regulation. This is a testing issue for many countries, who depends on such systems for their financial livelihood. Ben Coleman is a spokesman for the International Tax and Investment Organisation, an umbrella group that represents nations that function as offshore centres. Coleman says he hopes governments tread cautiously."

Ben Coleman: “Governments need to be able to look at what people are doing, whether it’s people moving between borders, whether it’s people setting up bank accounts or transferring money. They need to be able to look at that as part of the defensive measures they’re taking. But at the same time, they need to be aware that, if they go too far, they’ll be undermining the human rights on which the free and democratic countries that we are all protecting are based. And it’s getting this balance right that I think is the challenge ahead of us.”

To hear the full report, click here (requires Real Player)

Return to ITIO in the News index