We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Army troopers are tracking down five Indonesian fishermen being held captive by Abu Sayyaf bandits after the victims were reportedly spotted in the hinterlands of Maimbung, Sulu.
The Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS) intensified its intelligence gathering as it gave assurance that the troops are ready to execute plans to liberate the captives.
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Source: philstar.com
Police are monitoring the remaining few hostage ‘spotters’ or lookouts working in cohorts with the kidnap-for-ransom group (KFRG) responsible for the kidnapping incidents in Sabah’s east coast.
Sabah Police Commissioner Omar Mammah (above) said the spotters under surveillance were fishermen.
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Source: malaysiakini.com
KOTA KINABALU: Two of the six men suspected to have kidnapped five Indonesian fishermen in Malaysian waters earlier this month have been shot dead by Philippine security forces.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Hazani Ghazali said the suspects were killed in a shootout with Philippine security forces two days ago.
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Source: theborneopost.com
LAHAD DATU: The captors of the five Indonesian workers off Tambisan waters on Jan 15 have not made any ransom demand, said Sabah police commissioner Omar Mammah.
“Until today, we have not received any demand for ransom money from the kidnappers. We are investigating to find out who the masterminds are,” he said during a visit to the Lahad Datu police headquarters today.
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Source: freemalaysiatoday.com
LABUAN: Labuan marine police thwarted smuggling activities with a total seizure worth more than RM17 million last year, compared to RM1.5 million in 2018.
Sabah marine police (Region 4) commander, ACP Mohamad Pajeri Ali said Labuan marine police also foiled several attempts of illegal fishing by foreign fishermen and intrusion by illegal immigrants.
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Source: thesundaily.my
LAHAD DATU: Since 2018, security forces have thwarted 40 kidnapping attempts in the waters off seven districts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone).
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk Hazani Ghazali said this was due to the cooperation between the Royal Malaysian Police, armed forces and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
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Source: nst.com.my
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu has reiterated the country’s commitment to increasing security in the Sulu Sea region following recurring kidnappings of Indonesian fishermen by southern Philippines militant group Abu Sayyaf, inviting all trilateral counterparts — Indonesia and the Philippines — to join the effort.
In a visit to Jakarta on Saturday, the Malaysian politician — better known as Mat Sabu — said Malaysia would increase its efforts and role in the existing trilateral maritime patrols around Sulu and Sabah region, calling on relevant parties to follow suit.
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Source: thejakartapost.com
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Home Minister Azis Jamman today confirmed that members of a Malaysian terror group are in cahoots with the Abu Sayyaf from the southern Philippines.
He said police had first established this in 2018 following the arrests of seven Abu Sayaff men and a Malaysian in separate locations in Putrajaya and places like Tenom, Ranau and Kinarut in Sabah.
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Source: freemalaysiatoday.com
Ridzwan Rahmat
The Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) has again called on mariners to re-route their journeys to avoid the Sulu and Celebes seas where possible.
The call was reiterated in the wake of another abduction-at-sea case, in which eight crew members were taken from a Malaysia-registered fishing trawler while it was at sea.
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Source: janes.com
A little-known success story?
Despite ongoing incidents of piracy in Asia, international co-operation efforts are having genuine success at containing the issue. Various policy initiatives are showing promise for the security of the region’s sea lanes, now and into the future, Sam Bateman writes.
Since I wrote on the subject of piracy in Asia for Policy Forum in 2016, the situation has shown marked improvement. According to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), there were 76 incidents in Asia in 2018 as compared with 203 in 2015. In the first nine months of 2019, 54 incidents occurred in the region as compared with 64 in the same period of 2018, a significant drop by any measure.
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Source: policyforum.net
Maritime Security News 