REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government should strengthen security in the Indonesian-Philippines border areas to curb acts of piracy committed by the Abu Sayyaf armed group, House of Representatives' Commission I Vice Chairman T.B. Hasanuddin stated.
"Indonesia's vessels should be guarded by the Navy in an attempt to secure their goods. The Philippine Navy should escort the vessels on their way back from the country," Hasanuddin stated here on Tuesday.
The lawmaker pointed out that the trade route in the naval border areas had not been managed properly.
"Joint maritime patrols by Indonesia and the Philippines can combat piracy," he affirmed.
The Transportation Ministry had earlier stated that any vessels from the country heading to the Philippines should have a permit from the neighboring nation.
"We cannot allow a vessel to sail without a permit," Sea Transportation Director General A. Tonny Budiono of the Transportation Ministry emphasized here on Monday.
However, a permit could be issued only if Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines agree to conduct joint patrols.
"If there is a joint patrolling system in place involving the three countries, then we can (allow the vessels to sail to Philippines)," he added.
The ministry's Secretary General, Sugihardjo, affirmed that if the Philippines wants Indonesian vessels to sail to its ports, then its authorities should guard the vessels while on their way to and from the country.
The latest hostage crisis occurred when Indonesia's vessel was on its way back from the Philippines.
Sugihardjo, however, believed that the agreement among the three countries was the best solution.
The government's decision to ban vessels from sailing to the Philippines would prove more disadvantageous for the neighboring nation as 90 percent of its energy resources come from Indonesia, he noted.
"We understand the neighboring country's needs, but for us, the most important thing is the safety of our crew members," he reiterated.
In the latest hostage-taking incident, seven sailors of tugboat Charles from Indonesia were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf group.
The information came from one of the hostages who had called his wife.
The kidnappers have demanded a ransom of Rp20 million ringgits, or some Rp60 billion, and have threatened to kill the hostages if it was not paid.
The Indonesian government has banned Indonesian-flagged vessels from sailing to the Philippines following the latest hostage-taking incident.
The Transportation Ministry has issued a sailing notice no. 130/VI/DN-16, dated June 24, 2016, to the harbor masters, ordering them to not issue permits to Indonesian-flagged vessels intending to sail to the Philippines, the ministry's sea transportation director general stated on Friday.
The seaport masters have been strictly ordered to not issue permits to the Philippines-bound vessels without any exception.
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