Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have agreed to hasten the implementation of trilateral patrols within their maritime borders to address maritime threats and curb high seas crimes, including terrorism and poaching.
The decision to implement joint air and naval patrols within the three countries’s “maritime areas of common concern” was agreed upon during a recent meeting held in Bali, Indonesia.
The meeting was attended by Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana and his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, General Ryamizard Ryacudu and Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, respectively.
In a statement, the Department of National Defense said the three defense chiefs agreed to put into action the systems covering the trilateral patrols, along with the exchange of information.
“The three defense leaders agreed to encourage the operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure for Maritime Patrol and Rendering Immediate Assistance; Operating Guidelines on Information and Intelligence Sharing and Combined Communication Plan,” it said.
The joint air and maritime patrol agreement was signed on July 14 in Jakarta, Indonesia, by Lorenzana and his two Asean counterparts.
During this week’s meeting, the three defense officials also agreed “to further explore coordinated activities among the armed forces of the three countries, a trilateral database sharing mechanism, and the concept of the Malacca Strait Patrol to address maritime-security concerns.”
They also “reiterated their stand against violent extremism and terrorism, and concern over the repeated incidents of armed robbery and kidnapping at sea in the maritime areas of common concern to the three countries.”
Likewise, Lorenzana and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts tackled the territorial problem involving the South China Sea, but the defense department did not give any details.
Other than joint patrols, the trilateral agreement would also establish joint military command posts at “designated locations, including ad hoc military liaisons on board.”
Maritime Command Centers, which have overall responsibility for the tasking and deployment of each country’s respective assets, would be put up for the patrols.
Also, the agreement would identify a transit corridor within the borders of the three countries that would serve as designated sea lanes for mariners entering the maritime areas of common concern.