TNI encourages strong regional maritime partnership

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko has encouraged militaries from ASEAN countries to be more involved in maritime and naval cooperation, to cope with threats to the sovereignty of each country.

Moeldoko delivered a proposal for a stronger joint maritime partnership during the 12th ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) in Malaysia recently.

“Today we face new and often non-traditional security challenges. We must work with our ASEAN partners 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.

These crimes, according to Moeldoko, threaten national economic interests and people’s livelihoods, thus they must be stopped.

Moeldoko said another threat to the ASEAN region was the Islamic State (IS) organization.

“The barbaric actions of IS must not be tolerated in ASEAN. We should combine sovereign, bilateral and regional approaches to stop IS recruitment across Southeast Asia,” Moeldoko said.

According to the TNI chief, Indonesia will take the lead in the fight against terrorism, as the country is home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

Indonesia was also ready to share good practice on curbing terrorism and radicalism, Moeldoko added.

To create strong maritime collaboration in ASEAN, Indonesia is offering more maritime joint exercises among ASEAN countries and the establishment of the new ACDFIM-Plus institution, involving countries outside ASEAN.

“The institution will involve other countries besides ASEAN countries. It will enable collaboration and cooperation and ensure that ASEAN matters are addressed with ASEAN solutions,” Moeldoko said.

The 12th ACDFIM was attended by military chiefs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos and Singapore.

Maritime expert Raja Saut Gurning welcomed Moeldoko’s thoughts on strong joint maritime cooperation among ASEAN countries.

“Coordination among ASEAN countries on the maritime issue is quite weak. It’s a good idea having strong maritime collaboration, especially to ensure the area is secure and ships can enter safely,” Saut told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said many spots in ASEAN’s maritime area, such as the Malacca Strait and the water between Sulawesi and Sulu in the Philippines, were extremely vulnerable to piracy.

“ASEAN should secure its economic assets. This is a collective responsibility, not only Indonesia’s,” Saut said.

In November, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced a plan to turn Indonesia into a so-called “global maritime axis”.

The plan has five pillars of action, including ensuring regional security.

“Indonesia is obligated to build its maritime defense power. This is necessary not only to secure its maritime wealth and sovereignty but also to take responsibility for safeguarding navigation safety and maritime security,” said the President upon introducing the concept.

  ☠ thejakartapos