Indonesia, Malaysia Again Discuss Joint Sea Patrols in Light of Kidnappings

Following the weekend kidnapping of two Indonesian sailors off Borneo island, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with her Malaysian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to focus on kick-starting efforts for trilateral sea patrols with the Philippines.

A day earlier, Retno announced that two Indonesian sailors from Southeast Sulawesi province had been abducted Saturday from ships in waters off the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah.

The two were taken from different ships by gunmen believed to be from the southern Philippines, said Wan Abdul Bari Abdul Khalid, head of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). Retno said the abducted men were Indonesian captains of Malaysian fishing boats.

The latest kidnappings of Indonesian sailors in waters that separate the southern Philippines from Malaysian Borneo occurred although the three Southeast Asian countries have talked for months about implementing joint plans to safeguard the Sulu and Celebes seas from piracy.

“I really hope we can do it in the near future,” Indonesian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto told BenarNews. “We feel a bit disgraced now [because] the kidnappings keep going on and on.”

Retno expressed similar concerns over the recurring kidnappings of Indonesian sailors in Malaysian waters.

“We have been working together closely with Malaysian authorities, ship owners and the released hostages,” Retno said.

According to Retno, the government has warned Indonesian sailors to stay away from Sabah waters until a certain security level is reached. Despite the warnings, as many as 6,000 Indonesians work on fishing boats in the region.

Saturday’s first kidnapping occurred around 11 a.m. when five gunmen hijacked the ship and kidnapped its captain, La Utu La Rali, 52. Forty-five minutes later, gunmen kidnapped La Hadi La Edi, 46, leaving six crew members behind, Wan Abdul Bari told BenarNews.

While no one had yet claimed responsibility for Saturday’s abductions, southern Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants have reportedly carried out kidnappings of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors earlier this year, demanding ransoms for their release.

Two Indonesians remain hostages of ASG following their kidnapping in June, while five of their crewmates have been freed. Six Malaysian sailors are also still believed to be in ASG captivity.

ASG was blamed Monday for the kidnapping of a German sailor from his yacht off the southern Philippines and the killing of his female sailing partner, according to media reports. The two appear to have also been kidnapped by Somali pirates and held for 53 days in 2008 before a ransom was paid, reports said.

Obstacles

During their meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Retno and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman vowed to increase cooperation under the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA), which was signed with the Philippines earlier this year to prioritize maritime security in the region, including through joint nautical patrols.

“We also agreed to increase efforts in setting relevant standard operation procedures under the framework and ensuring effective attempts guided by the TCA,” the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The foreign ministers also agreed to work with the Philippines to search for, confirm the safety of and guarantee the release of hostages held by ASG and other militants.

A series of obstacles have slowed efforts to launch the joint patrols, said Wuryanto, the spokesman for Indonesia’s armed forces.

“We have not yet implemented the Trilateral Cooperative Arragement, because we still have some issues to discuss at the Ministry of Defense. The Armed Forces are still waiting for the instruction of the ministry over the mechanism of joint patrols. Technically, we still don’t know yet how to implement it,” Wuryanto told BenarNews on Monday.

Meeting in Bali three months ago, officials from the three nations agreed to maintain security in the Sulu Sea, including by implementing joint patrols, exchanging intelligence information and increasing communication tied to maritime security.

As part of the agreement the nations also agreed to build a joint command post.

“We still have not yet been informed about the joint command post. All I can tell is we still can’t implement the joint patrols,” Wuryanto said.