Filipino doctor rescued after being kidnapped by gunmen

MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) — Philippine security forces have rescued a Filipino doctor who was abducted by several gunmen of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf in remote Sulu province in the southern Philippines last month, a military general said on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, said troops found the victim in a village near Indanan town in Sulu province around 7:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday after he was freed.

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Source: china.org.cn

Singapore Bans Crew Changes

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has extended its COVID-19 precautionary measures to include a ban on crew changes. The MPA also urges all crew members onboard to have their temperature taken twice daily.

With the application of the additional precautionary measures, crew and passengers on short-term visits will not be allowed to disembark in Singapore.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

2 suspects in abduction of teacher in Sulu arrested

By Nonoy Lacson

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police and military authorities arrested, Saturday night two members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who were considered principal suspects in the kidnapping of a public elementary school teacher in this city last year.

Police Regional Office for Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) Director Police Brig Gen Froilan F. Quidilla identified the alleged ASG members as Erma Sahibol, alias Emz, and Kimar Juram, alias Monica.

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Source: news.mb.com.ph

2 Filipinos arrested for smuggling gas off Sabah

Two Filipinos were arrested off Sabah last weekend after they were caught smuggling 980 liters of petrol worth around RM1,783, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said.

MMEA Lahad Datu director maritime commander Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the Filipinos were intercepted 0.3 nautical miles south of Kampung Kenali 8 p.m. March 14. He said MMEA personnel in a decoy boat intercepted the boat during a special operation in Felda Sahabat waters.

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Source: politics.com.ph

3 arrested for attempting to rob Liberian-flagged ship in Singapore Strait

SINGAPORE: Three people were arrested after they attempted to rob a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait on Monday (Mar 16), said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a media release.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) Port Operations Control Centre received a report at around 5am that robbers had boarded the ship Sam Jaguar.

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Source: channelnewsasia.com

10 Abu Sayyaf bandits surrender in Sulu

Roel Pareño

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Ten Abu Sayyaf bandits have surrendered in Sulu.

Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. of the Joint Task Force Sulu and 11th Army Division said a group of bandits surrendered to the 1102nd Brigade under Col. Ignatius Patrimonio on March 6 and turned over their Garand rifles.

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Source: philstar.com

WesMinCom hosts Indonesia, Malaysia in trilateral security conference

By Bonita Ermac

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) hosted the Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Trilateral Security Conference at the Garden Orchid Hotel here, Thursday, March 5.

Representatives from the AFP general headquarters, their Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, and the top WesMinCom officers and its subordinate units joined in the activity.

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Source: news.mb.com.ph

Piracy in Asia: A situation report

A little-known success story?

Sam Bateman

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

The Forgotten Key to Maritime Security in the Sulu-Celebes Seas

Economic development in coastal communities will help stem the flow of illegal behavior.

By Jay Benson

Maritime insecurity in the Sulu and Celebes Seas is a persistent challenge. These waterways have recently been used to conduct incursions into Lahad Datu, orchestrate kidnap for ransom activities by militant groups such as Abu Sayyaf, and facilitate illegal wildlife trafficking. Governments in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia have responded with increased maritime enforcement capacity and presence, as well as enhanced international coordination. Although these are important efforts that need to be maintained, an exclusive focus on enforcement capacity risks ignoring an equally important facet of maritime insecurity: economic exclusion and inequality in coastal communities.

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Source: thediplomat.com