By: Iboy Sandi *)
Jakarta – CIDISS. In a span off one month as many as 14 people citizen kidnapped and held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf armed groups in the border waters of the Philippines, each citizen who kidnapped 10 people crew Brahma 2 Ships transporting coal to the Philippines in waters off Basilan Island and Tawi-Tawi plus 4 crew coal freighter TB Henry and Christy Barge when cruise home to the town of Tarakan on 15 April 2016. Even in a press release the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia (15/4), the kidnapping of the last of the crews shot, but was rescued along with five other crew members.
The case of hostage Indonesian citizens in the territorial waters of the Philippines border with Indonesia especially the province of North Borneo (Kaltara) greatly affects the security and comfort of the border waters. Even The Vice Governor Kaltara, Hianggio Udin, said that the hostage conducted Abu Sayyaf armed groups have an impact on the security of the territorial waters of the Kaltara province which indirectly affect the economic conditions.
Such conditions must be very detrimental to Indonesia, mainly of the security sector and the economy. Therefore, to avoid the re-occurrence of piracy and hostage ships and crews from Indonesia, it is time for the government to identify and mapping the shipping lanes that are prone to acts of piracy and hostage-taking, especially in the waters of the Philippines. Mapping of vulnerable areas of piracy and hostage, could eventually be used as a guideline for the Indonesian-flagged ship to avoid the area, and use shipping lanes safer.
Beside mapping the vulnerable shipping lanes, the Government of Indonesia also needs to conduct surveillance and security in an integrated and sustainable in order to keep the situation remains conducive of movements of the Philippine armed groups. With the integrated security is expected to maintain the security situation in the international economy shipping lanes, so the distribution of goods in the the economic sector between countries continues to run well and the crew Indonesia remains safe and secure.
Even if necessary, carried out cooperation bilaterally and multilaterally between countries that share a border in the waters are prone to piracy and hostage-like in Philippine waters, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and not close the possibility at the level of ASEAN to cooperate in identifying and providing security the pathways that are prone to piracy and hostage. So that it can avoid casualties as a result of the hostage by pirates and armed groups in the territorial waters of ASEAN. [IS]
*) Jakarta Contributor
