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.
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