Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have agreed closer ties in a bid to combat a spate of hijackings by Islamist militants.
Three Southeast Asian nations are to establish a designated transit corridor for commercial vessels off the southern Philippines in an area affected by the attacks, reports Reuters.
“The ministers have agreed in principle to explore the following measures, including a transit corridor within the maritime areas of common concern, which will serve as designated sea lanes for mariners," the defence ministers of the three nations said in a joint statement after a meeting in Manila.
The three countries also agreed to step up air and sea patrols and escorts for commercial ships in the common maritime areas to fend off potential hijacks, kidnaps and robbery.
Reuters quoted Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the leaders agreed to share the best practices evolved by Indonesia and Malaysia during a joint effort to patrol the Malacca Strait waterway against pirates, as a model for three-way cooperation with the Philippines.
It was the second meeting of officials of the three countries to tackle growing regional security challenges, after their foreign ministers met in Jakarta last month.
Nearly 20 Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crew have been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf militants this year, with Jakarta airing fears that the problem could reach levels seen off the coast of Somalia.
