Navy keen to join anti-piracy fight

Udomdej ready to support neighbours in Sulu patrols

SINGAPORE: Thailand is interested in joining a joint patrol initiative in the Sulu Sea off the Philippines to counter growing Islamist threats, Deputy Defence Minister Udomdej Sitabutr said.

Gen Udomdej made the remarks on the sidelines of the 16th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit in Singapore on Sunday. He led the Thai delegation.

Malaysia’s Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, told delegates that Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines’ joint sea patrol would kick off on June 19, to be followed by an air joint patrol.

The Sulu Sea in the southwest of the Philippines is rife with piracy, hijackings and kidnappings, especially off restive Mindanao island where Malaysia and the Philippines share maritime borders.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently declared martial law across the island to clamp down on IS-affiliated militant groups there.

The militant Maute group attacked Marawi, a key city in Mindanao, on May 23 and claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Jakarta the following day.

Foreigners involved in the Marawi attack may have passed through the Sulu Sea to connect with local militants.

“Indonesia has said it will probably invite Asean countries to join the patrol if they have connected maritime areas [with the Sulu Sea], which means Thailand and Singapore. We will have to consider this,” Gen Udomdej told the Bangkok Post.

“Thailand is ready to lend its support if it will help promote peace and stability in the region. But we have to see whether we are invited to join and at what level we should participate,” he said.

Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have staged joint naval and air patrols around the Malacca Straits for more than a decade.

These have proven useful in blocking terrorists from entering the areas to commit crimes, said Thawip Netniyom, secretary-general of the National Security Council who also attended the conference. The threat of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific was high on the agenda.

Speakers included Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, US Secretary of Defence James Mattis and the defence ministers of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand.

Many speakers stressed the need to respect law and order while territorial and other conflicts in the South China Sea and the long-running tension on the Korean Peninsula were also high on the agenda.

Notably, China sent lower-ranking officials to represent it at the summit.

Gen Udomdej said Thailand believes the US should remain engaged in the Asia-Pacific region to help control the balance of power and provide security.

“It’s good to let the US help solve problems in the region. Many countries agree the superpowers should play this role,” he said.

“Neighbouring countries and the superpowers should talk, or at least be open to talk to North Korea and try to convince it to return to a constructive peace process,” he said.

Gen Udomdej said even though the Chinese delegates were not of a ministerial level, they were still experienced senior officials with the potential to climb up the ranks of China’s power structure.

In Singapore, Gen Udomdej also had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the US, Singapore and Australia.

Gen Mattis extended an invitation to Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon to visit the US along with other high-ranking officials, Gen Udomdej said.