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                East Asia Trio Agree to Boost Maritime Security

   by VOA News

   Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will begin conducting joint
   coordinated maritime patrols in a crucial economic waterway after
   kidnappings by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.

   High-ranking diplomatic and military officials from the three nations
   reached an agreement Thursday in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta. The
   three nations share maritime borders along the Sulu and Celebes seas,
   through which 55 million tons of goods and over 18 million people pass
   each year.

   "We recognize the threats from the armed robbery against ships,
   kidnapping, and other trans-national crimes if not addressed
   appropriately can undermine, can undermine, the confidence in trade and
   commerce in our region in general," said Indonesian Foreign Minister
   Retno Marsudi.

   The triumvirate will set up a hotline to better communicate during
   emergency situations, provide immediate assistance to the safety of
   people and ships in distress, and intensify information and
   intelligence sharing.

   The agreement comes just days after the southern Philippine-based Abu
   Sayyaf militant group released 10 Indonesian sailors held captive since
   March.

   Abu Sayyaf began as an insurgent group calling for a separate Muslim
   state and in the 1990s it received seed money from al-Qaida. The group
   has since resorted to kidnapping foreign tourists and holding them for
   ransom as authorities intensified operations against terror groups
   following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

   The group beheaded Canadian national John Ridsel last month, after a
   $6.5 million ransom for him was not received.
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   e-security/3316480.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/east-asia-trio-agree-to-boost-maritine-security/3316480.html