Indonesian security forces can chase criminals into PH territory - DND

From InterAksyon (Jun 29): Indonesian security forces can chase criminals into PH territory - DND

Indonesian security forces can cross into Philippine territory if they are in “hot pursuit” of lawless elements under the terms of a 1975 border crossing agreement, the Department of National Defense said Wednesday.

“Consistent with the 1975 border crossing agreement, Indonesian security forces are allowed to enter PH maritime zones under the concept of hot pursuit in the same way that PH forces are allowed to enter Indonesian maritime zones,” DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said in a statement .

But Galvez also stressed that Philippine security forces should be “immediately informed so that a coordinated and joint operation could immediately be undertaken.”

He said the cross-border operations are intended “to further strengthen collective commitment to address, prevent and resolve transnational crimes.”

Galvez’s statement came a few days after Indonesia confirmed seven sailors were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen from a tugboat towing a coal barge last week.

It was the latest kidnapping of Indonesians in the Sulu Sea following incidents in March and April, when 14 sailors were also snatched on the high seas. The previous victims were all released in May.

The most recent incident prompted Indonesia to indefinitely stop coal shipments to the Philippines.

http://interaksyon.com/article/129709/indonesian-security-forces-can-chase-criminals-into-ph-territory---dnd