Place Esscom under police, says former army man

Robin Augustin

PETALING JAYA: A retired army officer has suggested that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) be placed under the purview of the police, amid reports that the initiative launched six years ago to enhance security in the area will be restructured.

Speaking to FMT, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Ahmad Ghazali Abu Hassan, who is also a former professor at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia’s Department of Strategic Studies, said this is because Esscom’s core duties deal with the eradication of cross-border crimes.

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Source: freemalaysiatoday.com

Thales’ Gecko system to combat pirates in the Caribbean

David Ing, Madrid – Jane’s Navy International

The Jamaica Defence Force is to acquire a Thales Gecko electro-optical tracking sensor system as part of a wider national programme to counter sea pirates, the company announced on 30 May.

The system will be used in conjunction with the Coast Watcher 100 radar, which is also being supplied by Thales, to help protect against “contraband operations in difficult scenarios”, including monitoring in high seas and heavy rainfall conditions, and providing additional cover from low-altitude air threats.

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Source: janes.com

Oil rig worker kidnapped in Nigeria has been freed after a month

Emma Yeomans

A Scottish oil worker held captive in Nigeria has been freed a month after armed men stormed his rig.

John Hiddleston, 65, was working on a rig in the Delta region when gunmen dragged him and two others, a Canadian and a Nigerian, into a swamp.

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Source: thetimes.co.uk

Senate approves Philippines-Indonesia maritime boundary treaty

Camille Elemia

Under the treaty, there will be a clear boundary between the two nations, helping Filipino and Indonesian fishermen to operate peacefully and properly

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Monday, June 3, concurred with the ratification of the treaty that draws a boundary between the overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines and Indonesia.

Voting 20-0, senators adopted Senate Resolution No. 1048, which concurs with the historic agreement signed in May 2014. It was the Philippines’ first maritime boundary treaty.

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Source: rappler.com

MARITIME BOUNDARY DEAL. The map shows the exclusive economic zone boundary between the Philippines and Indonesia. Photo from the Department of Foreign Affairs

Kenya bans fishing close to Somalia border

By KALUME KAZUNGU

Kenya has banned fishing activities off the Coast near the Somalia border over security concerns.

Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri says all fishermen are prohibited from carrying out their activities in Ras Kamboni and any other areas past Kiunga Town, all of which lie close to the Kenya-Somalia border.

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Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

Indian Navy steps up anti-piracy patrol

Dinakar Peri

In an expansion of its Mission Based Deployments (MBD) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Navy deployed its P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft for anti-piracy sorties from Salalah in Oman to patrol the Gulf of Aden.

“Long-range maritime reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft P-8I undertakes anti-piracy patrol sorties from Salalah in the Gulf of Aden and other piracy prone areas in keeping with our MBD philosophy, to keep IOR safe and secure for all,” Navy spokesperson Captain D.K. Sharma said in a tweet on Saturday.

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Source: thehindu.com

Navy Recruits 1,176 To Fight Sea Pirates

The Nigerian Navy has recruited 1,176 young men and women to aid the fight against sea pirates and oil bunkers in the nation’s maritime domain.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, stated this in a statement made available to The Tide shortly after the passing out parade of Batch 28, Basic Training School in Onne. He said the trainees underwent rigorous physical and mental training for seven months to prepare them for internal security operations across the country.

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Source: thetidenewsonline.com

Dutch hostage killed while trying to escape from militants in Philippines

MANILA (Reuters) – A Dutch photographer held hostage by Islamic State-linked militants in the Philippines since 2012 was killed on Friday by his captors when he tried to escape during a firefight on a remote southern island, the military said.

Ewold Horn, a wildlife photographer, was shot by his guards from the Abu Sayyaf group when he tried to flee during a clash between government troops and the militants, said Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of a Joint Task Force on Sulu island.

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Source: reuters.com

Maritime Security News: You may recall that only ten days ago, a Philippine National Police commander had claimed that Horn had joined the group. More here:
https://maritimesecurity.news.blog/2019/05/21/dutch-hostage-joins-abu-sayyaf/

Navy seeks more effective collaboration between agencies to tackle crime in Rivers

By Desmond Ejibas

Bonny – The Nigerian Navy has called for more effective collaboration between security agencies and the people to tackle crime in Rivers.

The navy decried the upsurge in criminality across various communities and on waterways, express optimisms that it would be successful, if the residents were fully involved. Capt. Kolawole Oguntuga, the Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base, Bonny, made the call on Thursday at the inauguration of a free medical outreach on Thursday in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers.

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Source: sundiatapost.com

AFP to deploy 1st Brigade Combat Team in Sulu for anti-ASG ops

By Priam Nepomuceno

MANILA — The military will deploy the 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT) to Sulu in line with ongoing efforts to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists.

“Now that the election period is over and national candidates have been proclaimed, we are redeploying forces to security challenged areas like Sulu Archipelago for focused military operations,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in an interview with reporters Thursday.

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Source: pna.gov.ph