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Navy ready to conduct maritime patrols with Malaysia, Philippines
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Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu (center) and his counterparts, Malaysian Defense Minister Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (right) and Philippine National Defense Minister Delfin N Lorenzana join hands to pose for photographs at the opening ceremony of the Trilateral Defence Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Tuesday. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
The Indonesian Navy has said it is ready to take part in coordinated joint patrols with Malaysia and the Philippines.
Navy spokesman First Admiral Edi Sucipto said on Tuesday the Navy was ready to deploy its personnel to the field at anytime. To arrange the equipment needed for the joint patrols, including Indonesia's primary weapons system, called Alutsista, the Navy should, however, first wait for a briefing from the headquarters of the Indonesian Military (TNI), he said.
"Our main duty and function is to prepare our personnel, Alutsista, and our strategic plans. We are now waiting for the command from [TNI] headquarters," Edi said on Tuesday.
Defense ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines gathered in Bali for the third Trilateral Defense Ministers' Meeting, which ended on Tuesday. In the two-day meeting, they discussed follow-up measures to a joint declaration on maritime security signed by the three countries in Yogyakarta in May.
In Yogyakarta’s meeting, high-ranking officials signed a document on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for trilateral maritime cooperation, which marked the official beginning of coordinated joint sea patrols among the three countries to secure the waters in the region.
The push for the implementation of the joint patrols came on the heels of the abduction of three Indonesian sailors in Sabah waters off Malaysia in early July, less than a month after the kidnapping of seven Indonesian crew members by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines. July’s incident marked the fourth abduction of its kind this year. (ebf)
