Trilateral pact to beef up security

PETALING JAYA: A more robust defence between Malaysia, and the Philippines will beef up security in the region.

At the end of the third Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday, Malaysia’s Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Indonesia’s Gen (Rtd) Ryamizard Ryacudu and Philippines’ National Defence Secretary Major-Gen (Rtd) Delfin Lorenzana agreed to further boost the close partnership between the countries’ security forces.

Among the key topics discussed were the current security challenges, including the maritime areas affecting the three countries.

“The ministers raised concern over the repeated incidents of armed robbery at sea and kidnapping by radical groups in the maritime areas, and reaffirmed the commitment and the need for collective responses of the three countries to address such threats and there will also be a coordinated defence activities,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The statement also said that “coordinated trilateral activities among our respective Armed Forces” and “the conduct of ‘Hot Pursuit’ into neighbouring maritime waters” were among the few ideas the three ministers would further explore on following the meeting.

It also added that a trilateral database sharing mechanism would also be looked into.

The ministers raised concern over the repeated incidents .... by radical groups in the maritime areas. Defence Ministry