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