Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines launch joint sea patrols
TARAKAN, Indonesia — Southeast Asian neighbours Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines launched co-ordinated maritime patrols on Monday to intensify their fight against Islamic militants who have laid siege to a southern Philippine city.
Defence ministers and military chiefs from the three countries launched the patrols in the Indonesian city of Tarakan in northern Borneo, just across the border from Sabah, Malaysia.
Indonesia’s military chief, Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, said Maritime Command Centers were also opened in the cities of Tawau in Malaysia and Bongao in the Philippines. The information and intelligence sharing centres establish designated sea lanes for ships in the seas along the countries’ borders to prevent Islamic State group-aligned militants in the southern Philippines from fleeing to neighbouring nations.
The conflict in the Philippine city of Marawi has raised fears that the Islamic State group’s violent ideology is gaining a foothold in the country’s restive south, where Muslim separatists have fought for greater autonomy for decades.