Indonesia to Bolster Maritime Defence

Indonesia is set to step up its maritime defense efforts so as to be able to ensure navigation safety to its own ships and those passing through its territorial waters. Speaking at the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Thursday, held in Myanmar, the Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo stressed five pillars of the countrys new maritime doctrine, writes the Jakarta Post. These include rebuilding Indonesia’s maritime culture, maintaining and managing sea resources, prioritization of infrastructure and maritime connectivity development, maritime diplomacy and building up of its maritime defense power. Within this framework, Indonesia plans to launch a new coastguard next month to crack down on piracy and smuggling, Reuters reports quoting the newly-appointed Chief Security Minister Tedjo Edy Purdijatno as saying on Thursday. According to Purdijatno, the move is triggered by a desire to put the existing overlapping agencies under one coastguard. The mandate of the coastguard will include securing maritime borders and tackling illegal fishing and human trafficking, Purdijatno said. As explained, the new coastguard will take personnel and vessels from the military, the objective being becoming fully independent in a year. World Maritime News Staff; Image: MSR