Indonesia may get stronger support for its fight against piracy by joining the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), a US official has said.
“If Indonesia joins ReCAAP and coordinates with this multilateral agreement and the International Maritime Bureau [IMB], it’ll get even bigger coordinated patrols. You’ll have better assets, better awareness, better targeting capacity and that will start to drive piracy down,” the senior advisor to the assistant secretary for borders, immigration and trade of the US Department of Homeland Security’s policy office, Sean Moon, said on Wednesday.
He further said ReCAAP membership was essential although Indonesia had reached a trilateral maritime security agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines to secure regional waters.
Moon underlined that international cooperation and cooperation at sea were key to address maritime security issues because the sea itself was inherently international.
The US official further said ReCAAP would welcome Indonesia’s presence as a member of the multilateral agreement, in which it would complete its regional patch because the cooperation overlooked and would create holistic coordination.
“It is in everybody’s best interest,” Moon added.
The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC), established under the agreement, was recognized as an international organization in 2007. ReCAAP now consists of 20 member states, mostly from Asia. It also includes the US, Australia and several European countries.
Moon is currently in Indonesia to visit several cities across the country and will engage with the private and public sectors to exchange knowledge on maritime matters, specifically on seaport management and sea security to ensure smooth trade-lane operations.
Source: The Jakarta Post