Cooperation pushes back Abu Sayyaf group: Official

From the Jakarta Post (Dec 14): Cooperation pushes back Abu Sayyaf group: Official

Following the rescue of two more sailors, Indonesia’s maritime security agreement with the Philippines has seemingly succeeded in pushing back a notorious band of militants responsible for a spate of kidnappings in shared waters.

According to a Foreign Ministry official, the existing cooperation framework in the Sulu Sea has forced the Abu Sayyaf group to shift its modus operandi to targeting fishermen in waters near Sabah state in Malaysia, where local authorities do not have a completely firm grip on security.

There have been no incidents in the Sulu Sea since June, thanks in no small part to standard operating procedures agreed upon by Indonesia and the Philippines, said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad.

Iqbal said the implementation of joint and coordinated patrols, as well as the establishment of a route for safe passage in the Sulu Sea, while successful, had had the unfortunate effect of shifting the Abu Sayyaf group’s activities to the porous borders near Malaysia.

“At the outset, we conspired to beef up security in the Sulu Sea. Now that Sulu is secure, there is an operational shift to Sabah waters, which eventually led to a kidnapping in that area,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “We did not foresee the shift to Sabah.”

Previously, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi sought assurances from her Malaysian counterparts about securing the release of four Indonesian fishermen abducted on two different occasions in Sabah waters last month.

The kidnappings occurred near the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) base.

Iqbal said security forces under ESSCOM had no mandate to secure waters beyond 3 nautical miles, and that Malaysia was seeking to improve security and endorse the trilateral agreement.

On Friday The Star reported that three suspected kidnappers were shot dead and three others captured late on Thursday in Tawau district.

“[Abu Sayyaf] will always look to operate [...] not too far from the Philippine archipelago, making sure to stay away from the open sea,” Iqbal said, adding that Sabah was near the Tawi-Tawi islands.

Abu Sayyaf has repeatedly abducted Indonesian sailors transporting coal and other commodities in waters between the three countries, demanding ransoms of 100 million pesos (US$2 million). The most recent hostages had 2 million ringgit ($449,893) on their heads, Iqbal claimed, adding that the ransom was not paid.

Since March 24, more than a dozen Indonesians have been taken hostage by a splinter cell of Abu Sayyaf in six incidents, with four people remaining in captivity.

On the sidelines of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s visit to India, Retno said the government had succeeded in rescuing the remaining two Indonesian sailors after six months of drawn-out negotiations.

Robin Piter from East Kalimantan and Muhamad Nasir of South Sulawesi were abducted with five other crewmen by a faction headed by Al Habsyi Misaya back in June. They were handed over to Indonesia’s consular office in Manila on Tuesday morning, Iqbal revealed.

He said they would return home “as soon as possible” after completing trauma therapy at the Indonesian Consulate General in Davao. The Defense Ministry plans to pick them up on Wednesday.

Iqbal added that the government was able to secure the release of the men with the help of Nur Misuari, a former Philippine fugitive and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/12/14/cooperation-pushes-back-abu-sayyaf-group-official.html