TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

RI demands better patrols in Sulu Sea

A number of its citizens having fallen victim to rampant piracy in the Sulu Sea in recent months, Indonesia has asked Malaysia and Philippines to intensify patrols in the waters pending a maritime pact coming into force

Haeril Halim and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, August 9, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

RI demands better patrols in Sulu Sea

A

number of its citizens having fallen victim to rampant piracy in the Sulu Sea in recent months, Indonesia has asked Malaysia and Philippines to intensify patrols in the waters pending a maritime pact coming into force.

The call was made following the kidnap of Indonesian national Herman Manggak, captain of a Malaysian fishing vessel, by armed militants off the coast of Sabah on Wednesday, the fourth case of kidnapping involving Indonesians since March 24.

The latest incident was reported exactly 24 hours after the defense ministers of the three countries signed a maritime treaty in which the countries agree to conduct coordinated patrols in the perilous waters, notorious as the home base of the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

Under the pact, which was signed in Bali, the three countries’ navies will conduct joint patrols.

The prolonged discussion of the maritime cooperation between the three countries appears to have inspired not only Abu Sayyaf-affiliated groups to but minor pirate to step up their operations the region’s waters in the hope of securing ransom money.

The kidnappers of Herman remain unknown, and the ransom asked for, 10,000 ringgit, is far from the usual demand of 20 million ringgit that characterizes the Abu Sayyaf groups behind kidnappings of sailors in waters off the southern Philippines.

The Indonesian Navy emphasized on Monday that it had intensified patrols and provided security for ships in Indonesian waters with no record of kidnappings taken place in its jurisdiction as of today, hinting that similar initiatives should have also been taken by Malaysia and Philippines in the first place.

“The fact that no kidnappings have happened in our waters proves the Navy’s presence in those waters. With or without the coordinated patrol, we will still step up patrols in our waters. With the implementation of the coordinated patrol in the future, it is hoped that the three countries can back each other up to secure [border] areas,” Navy spokesman First Admiral Edi Sucipto told The Jakarta Post.

Separately, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto revealed that the government had issued a warning against traversing areas deemed “critical” for their frequency of abductions.

The tri-border area between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, particularly the waters surrounding the Sulu Sea, has been repeatedly targeted by militant groups, being a substantial corridor for coal shipping between Jakarta and Manila, but also for illicit activities such as trafficking of persons and contraband.

The problem, Wiranto said, is that those taken hostage often do not heed the government’s warnings or any cautionary advice given by the authorities when traversing the area.

“We have been very careful in designating areas that require caution. So when a certain area is [under scrutiny], we urge people to refrain from entering,” the chief security minister said.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.