ASEAN to patrol in Philippine waters

ASEAN to patrol in Philippine waters

MALAYSIA: Four Southeast Asian countries agreed on Sunday to
start joint sea patrols to fight cross-border crimes and beef up
security in piracy-prone waters around the southern Philippines,
officials said.

Security in the area, prone to sea robberies, smuggling and
kidnappings, topped the agenda when leaders of Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia and the Philippines met on Sunday on the eve of annual
talks of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"We are moving forward ... in conducting probably joint
patrols," Philippines government official Jesus Dureza said in
the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, adding that they could be
coordinated, cross-border patrols.

"You cannot bring in investment in that area if the level of
security, the confidence in security is not that high. We have to
address this," Dureza said.

The four countries also agreed to consider joint investments
in energy to prevent a supply crunch in the so-called East Asian
Growth Area (EAGA) bordering the four nations. Dureza said
Indonesia proposed that the EAGA nations -- one of ASEAN's poorer
subregions -- step up cooperation to ensure sufficient fuel
reserves in the area.

Indonesia has recently become a net importer of oil and gas
while the region's other majors producers, Malaysia and Brunei,
are straying into deeper and deeper water to find new reserves to
replace production from maturing fields closer to home. The
Philippines is also a net importer of oil and gas. -- Reuters