Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed
on Thursday to conduct coordinated maritime patrols after a spate of
ship hijackings by Islamist militants in the southern Philippines.
Most of the piracy in the area is the work of
militants from the Abu Sayyaf group operating out of lawless Philippine
islands. Indonesia has warned that the problem could reach levels seen
off Somalia.
Indonesian port authorities in some areas have
stopped issuing permits to ships taking coal through the southern
Philippines because of the attacks.
"We will undertake coordinated patrols in the
maritime areas of our common concern," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno
Marsudi said after a meeting of the countries' military chiefs and
foreign ministers in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.
The southern Philippines shares maritime
borders with Indonesia and Malaysia and they signed an agreement in 2002
to strengthen border security in response to increasing cross-border
attacks by militants of the Abu Sayyaf group, but they have yet to mount
coordinated naval patrols.
Coordinated patrols involve voyages by the different navies operating in their own territorial waters.
Indonesia last month called for joint maritime
patrols, which would involve ships from the three navies patrolling
together and crossing into each other's territorial waters. But the
Philippines said it wanted separate but coordinated patrols to identify
safe corridors where ships can travel.
Indonesia is the world's largest thermal coal exporter and supplies 70 percent of the Philippines' coal imports.
Abu Sayyaf militants have become notorious for
kidnapping over the past 15 years or so and have earned millions of
dollars in ransoms. They have acquired modern weapons, high-powered
boats and communications equipment.
Marsudi said the neighbors would also set up a hotline to improve cooperation and share intelligence.
"We share the urgent need to take action to
ensure our citizens feel protected in undertaking their activities in
the area," she said.
Procedures for the patrols in the Sulu and Celebes seas would be worked out at a follow-up meeting, she said.
Analysts say $40 billion worth of cargo passes
through those waters a year, including supertankers from the Indian
Ocean that cannot use the crowded Malacca Strait.
The militants, who killed a Canadian hostage
last month, and who hold more than a dozen foreigners, were in the past
linked to al Qaeda and have more recently voiced support for Islamic
State.
The United States advises the Philippine
military and has given about $200 million in communications and
surveillance equipment to the three countries' maritime forces over the
past decade.
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