Hisham moots joint patrols in Sulu waters to curb piracy

From the Star Online (Apr 17): Hisham moots joint patrols in Sulu waters to curb piracy

KAHANG: The Defence Ministry has suggested that the joint navy and air patrolling efforts, which have been successfully conducted along the Straits of Malacca, to be implemented in the Sulu waters to combat piracy.

Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said that the Eyes-in-the-Sky (EiS) initiative with Singapore and Indonesia had proven to be effective in bringing down piracy cases in the Straits.

It was timely for a similar effort to be used in the Sulu waters with countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei in view of the hijack and kidnap cases of late, he told reporters after attending a community sports event at Kampung Orang Asli Seri Sedohok here, some 40km from Kluang yesterday.

Hishammuddin was asked about the four Indonesian sailors who were believed to have been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Philippine waters on Friday night. Six other crew members, including one who was injured, managed to escape to Semporna, Sabah.

 

Hishammuddin said he had made the same suggestion previously during a side meeting at the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting, which he chaired, but there was no urgency at that time.

“This matter needs to be revived. Sometimes, political will and urgency require timing. Maybe the time is now,” he said.

The EiS initiative, proposed by then Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, was launched in 2005.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/04/17/hisham-moots-joint-patrols-in-sulu-waters-to-curb-piracy/