Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in his inaugural visit to Malaysia, has given Kuala Lumpur the go-ahead to enter his country’s waters in pursuit of kidnappers and militants, who have been terrorising Sabah’s east coast.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak calling the news a new development in Putrajaya-Manila ties, saying the two leaders had agreed on the need to stamp out security risks, which also affect Indonesia.
There were several kidnap-for-ransom cases this year, which saw 10 Malaysians grabbed by militants based in the south of the Philippines. Five are still being held captive.
“I appreciate Duterte’s under-standing because this is a practical way for us to help each other. It’s a new development which has been agreed by [Indonesian President] Jokowi with Duterte, and now with me. We need to stamp out this crime as this is affecting the welfare and security of not only Sabahans but tourists who visit the state,” Najib said after meeting Duterte.
The Philippine President was in KL for a two-day visit, his first after assuming the presidency in June.
Defence ministers from Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia will be meeting in Vientiane on Nov 22 to discuss the standard operating procedure and legal aspects of the new development.
While authorities from Malaysia and Indonesia are allowed to enter its maritime borders, they have to inform the Philippine navy of their presence in the area.
“If you are in hot pursuit of the bad guys and we reach maritime boundaries, the bad guys will get away if you stop. So, President Duterte said we should continue the chase and he has given us the licence to do so. We are to inform the Philippine navy and they will assist us if they are nearby,” Najib said.
The PM said the new agreement was a clear sign of the two countries’ commitment to eliminate kidnapping incidents and new orders would be issued to security forces based along the Sabah east coast.
“This new development will also help move relations between both countries forward. While we have been enjoying warm and cordial relations, we have yet to reach our full potential due to security and legal issues,” he said.
On Philippine claims over Sabah, Najib said this issue was not addressed yet. Manila has a longstanding claim to Sabah, which was once ruled by the Sulu Sultanate.
Duterte expressed appreciation on Malaysia’s role in the peace process in southern Philippines, said Najib, adding that the government had agreed to continue placing an international monitoring team there.
Malaysia has been playing the role of facilitator in the Bangsamoro peace process negotiations and is leading the foreign monitoring team.
On the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah, Najib said both countries agreed to send home in stages the 7,000 Filipinos currently in the state.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK