Seventeen countries have each appointed a representative to take part in the 6th Maritime Security Desktop Exercise. The event has been scheduled to take place from March 30th to April 1st in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
The 6th Maritime Security Desktop Exercise will focus on further improving the co-op efforts established between the 17 countries regarding their fight against sea crimes at the region, as commented by the head of the Indonesian maritime security board, Edi Fernandi.
The Indonesian Coast Guard (Bakamla) in a co-op effort with the Australian Border Protection Service is responsible for the organizing of this current exercise, he further commented.
Photo: Bakamla
“A large number of countries have put sea crime prevention at the top of their list of priorities after having experienced such violations, which are occurring at various areas of the global maritime territory,” Fernandi said.
This joint exercise aims at intensifying all co-op efforts regarding the protection of the maritime resources as well as strengthening the coordination aspect of the fight against sea crime in the region.
The 17 countries that have decided to take part in the drill are as follows:
Australia, the Philippines, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Pakistan.
The Security Chief Minister of Indonesia, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, is set to open the event, as commented by Fernandi. He further added that all discussions related to maritime issues will also continue at the event’s sidelines.
Indonesia is a large archipelago country that has a total of 17, 500 islands.