‘TCA to expand beyond current defence sphere’
KUALA LUMPUR: The Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) Ministerial Meeting yesterday agreed to expand the TCA beyond its current defence sphere by effectively incorporating a multiagency approach.
Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the TCA, which was created to address maritime security threats in the waters of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, should involve the relevant ministries and agencies of the three countries.
Besides that, he said the meeting also agreed to expedite the deployment of a permanent Trilateral Maritime Patrol Liaison Officer (TMP LO) in each country's Maritime Command Centre to enable effective exchange of information, monitoring and implementation of maritime and air surveillance activities.
“The meeting also agreed to ensure greater emphasis in intelligence for future surveillance operations to increase productivity and accuracy in curtailing crime-terror nexus activities in the region,” he said this during a joint press conference with his counterparts from the neighbours, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto and the Philippines' Delfin N Lorenzana, after chairing the meeting.
The TCA Ministerial Meeting was held on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition and National Security Conference Asia (Natsec) 2022 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec), here yesterday.
Hishammudin also noted that during the meeting, he and his counterparts also mandated their senior officials to take certain actions including institutionalising the TCA Ministerial Meeting so that it would be convened at least annually to enhance strategic engagement and commitment among the three countries.
He said senior officials of each countries had also been asked to increase presence at sea, amplifying the combined show of force to deter security threats in the Sulu and Sulawesi seas, besides exploring the potential of land-based exercises that would be spearheaded by the Chiefs of Defence Forces of the countries.
Hishammuddin stressed that the TCA had been and remained crucial in acting as a deterrent against crime-terror acts in the Sulu and Sulawesi seas.
“A proof of its success is zero incident of kidnaping-for-ransom (KFR) reported in the year 2021. We have shown the world that strong regional security cooperation is the way forward,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prabowo at the press conference described Malaysia and Philippines as ‘a close friends and have strong historical, cultural as well as shared common interest and threats'.
“Therefore this TCA is very important, strategic and we would like to see this being enhanced, so we welcome the decision that we achieved today and look forward to its implementation,” he said.
Sharing the same thoughts, Lorenzana said he was looking forward to strengthening the relationship between Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia through the TCA.
“The TCA has been very successful and it is time to up the level as well as to get other agencies involved to keep the countries' borders from being encroached,” he added.
For record, the last TCA Ministerial Meeting was held in Sept 2018 in Manila. — Bernama