Police tighten security on border islands

Jongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Police in North Sulawesi are planning to tighten security on islands bordering the Philippines amid fears of terrorist activities and separatist movements.

The plans, revealed over the weekend, include increasing the number of security personnel, providing more patrol boats, and monitoring movements on Sangihe and Talaud group of islands, North Sulawesi Police chief Jhon Lalo said.

"Police have to tighten security measures as our latest investigations have discovered that the islands are a passageway to military training camps in Mindanao in southern Philippines," he said.

Police investigators earlier said that the terrorist attacks in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Dec. 5 were carried out by individuals who learned bomb-making in Mindanao.

The islands are also believed to be a safe haven for gun smuggling.

"There are various types of firearms smuggled through the archipelago from Mindanao," he said without going into details.

Lalo said that more police personnel will be deployed on Mianggas and Marore islands of the Sangihe and Talaud group of islands.

He said police would also increase the number of patrol boats in the waters.

"Police only have one patrol boat right now, which is far from adequate to guard the vast waters around this province," Lalo told The Jakarta Post.

Also part of the plan is the monitoring of people passing through the string of islands. The measures are being taken as there are great number of people traveling through the islands.

"Freedom of movement is the right of every citizen, but police have the right to know the identity of people passing through the islands," he said.

Terrorist activities, however, are not the only problem in the area. There has been a growing resentment from most residents of Mianggas, one of the islands, as they feel that the central government has neglected them.

"Electricity, health care facilities and piped water are not available on the island," local legislator Ronny Tanos said.

The absence of those services is worsened by the fact the most of the island's population make their living in the neighboring country.

"Right now, there are around 7,000 people working in factories on Mindanao island, which is only 48 miles north of Mianggas island," he said referring to the island under the administration of Talaud regency.

Tanos, a local figure, suggested that the government provide funding to boost fishing activities in the area.