Manila: The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have launched joint air patrols, covering common sea boundary areas between the three countries, to improve security against extremist elements plaguing the three countries.
“The fight against terrorism in the region continues to get a boost,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in Manila, while officials from Indonesia and Malaysia issued similar announcements in their respective countries.
For years, the three countries have been suffering from cross-border attacks by groups such as the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf — and recently from the Daesh-inspired Maute in Western Mindanao — as well as similar organisations from Indonesia and Malaysia espousing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
Abela said the coordinated joint air patrols among the three countries was necessary “to better counter the movement of terrorist groups and to strengthen the security of our three nations and that of the region.”
Often an extremist group operating in one area, for example the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan, would strike and mount a crossborder kidnapping in some part of Sabah, in Malaysia, and then return to their strongholds in the Philippines’ Western Mindanao, where they would negotiate ransom.
An agreement sealed by the three countries last year, allows these three nations to jointly cooperate in such occasions and mount operations using their own forces.
“By sharing information and exchanging best practices, we hope to improve the interoperability of our forces and help better secure areas of common maritime interest,” Abella added
Call the Trilateral Air Patrols (TAP), maritime and air patrols will be carried out from designated staging points such as Tarakan in Indonesia, Bongao in the Philippines; and Tawau for Malaysia.
“Each country will take turns leading the mission thru a designated mission commander using host country air assets. Air patrol will be monitored from a maritime coordinating centre. A host country will use their air assets with other nations patrol teams aboard,” Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.
Security of the sea lanes bordering the three countries is of special concern. At least $40 billion (Dh146 billion) worth of trade pass through the common sea areas of these three nations.
The tri-border patrols is the consummation of an agreement signed by defence officials of the three countries in April 2016, when cross border raids by extremist groups operating in this part of Southeast Asia was at its peak.
Extremist groups operating in the area had victimised not only Filipino, Indonesian and Malaysians, but Europeans, South Koreans, Australians and Vienamese, among others.
