Malaysia permitted to pursue militants in Philippine waters
NAN-F-12
Militants
Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 10, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Malaysia has been given the green light to enter Philippine waters to pursue militants and kidnappers who encroach on the eastern coast of Malaysia’s Sabah state, according to local media.
The report said that the decision was made during a bilateral meeting on Thursday between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
It said that 10 Malaysians had been kidnapped this year by militant groups based in Southern Philippines, while five remain captive.
It said that a Malaysian, Bernard Then, who was kidnapped in May 2015 by Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, was beheaded in November of that year after negotiations for his release broke down.
According to the report, Najib said the permission from Duterte was important to ridding kidnap-for-ransom activities that have been a rising problem for both nations in the past few years.
“I appreciate President Duterte’s practical way in stamping out this menace.
“Defence Ministers of the three countries will meet to sort out the standard operating procedure for this to be implemented soon,” Najib told reporters after his meeting with Duterte. (Reuters/NAN)
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Edited by Damilola Oyewole and Abdullahi Yusuf