Indonesia to Bar Migrant Boats at Sea
Indonesia will prevent boats carrying migrants from entering its maritime territory to avert a flood of others following behind causing "social issues", the military chief said on Friday. General Moeldoko said the military was carrying out patrols at its maritime borders and would provide humanitarian assistance if boats with migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were in trouble in Southeast Asian waters. "We will try to prevent them from entering our territory otherwise it will create social issues," Moeldoko told reporters after meeting President Joko Widodo in the capital Jakarta. About 1,400 migrants have landed on Indonesia's western tip of Aceh this week, but thousands more remain stranded at sea with little food or water.
Indonesia Mulls Regional Maritime Partnership
Militaries ASEAN countries should join and get more involved in maritime and naval cooperation, to cope with threats to the sovereignty of each country, Gen. Moeldoko, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief said, reports Jakarta Post. Moeldoko called for a stronger joint maritime partnership during the 12th ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) in Malaysia recently. He pointed out that these countries face new and often non-traditional security challenges. ASEAN partners should work together to protect and defend sea lanes through the South China Sea, which serve as a backbone for the economic development and prosperity of the region, Gen. Moeldoko said. Countries in ASEAN face various maritime crimes such as piracy, human trafficking, drug smuggling and illegal fishing.
