Manila. The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are considering joint patrols
of their sea borders to combat piracy, smuggling and the movement of Al
Qaida-linked militants, a top defense official said Thursday.
The proposal was discussed when
Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin met earlier this week with his
Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, who traveled to the Philippines to visit
their troops involved in efforts to strengthen a cease-fire between Filipino
forces and Muslim guerrillas in the south.
The Philippines has considered
joint naval patrols with either Indonesia or Malaysia in the past but a three-way
effort would vastly improve security in the volatile region, Gazmin said.
The Southeast Asian nations share
sea borders where human and arms smuggling, piracy and the movement of
militants from Al Qaida-linked have long been a concern.
In 2000, Abu Sayyaf gunmen
crossed the border in speedboats and snatched 21 European tourists and
Malaysian and Filipino workers from Malaysia’s Sipadan diving resort and
brought them to jungle strongholds in the southern Philippines, where the
captives were later ransomed off.
Indonesia has also been concerned
with the smuggling of firearms from the southern Philippines to Indonesia,
where they could fall in the hands of Islamic militants.
Gazmin said authorities from the
three countries would study the proposed joint naval patrols, along with
real-time information exchanges and rapid-response arrangements to deal with
emergencies at sea and cross-border crimes.
Associated Press
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