RP, Malaysia launch joint military exercises

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Philippines and Malaysia launched joint military exercises yesterday against "new fronts" of the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf terrorist groups operating on the borders of the two countries.

Commodore Rufino Lopez Jr., Naval Forces Western Mindanao chief, said the departure of the patrol boats of both countries’ naval forces signaled the start of Maritime Exercise 03-05.

The exercise will culminate on Dec. 14 in Sandakan, Malaysia near the Philippine border.

"The naval forces are equipped with strategies and planned cooperation that enhance their capability (to confront) this present terrorism problem emerging in the porous southern backdoor," Lopez said.

While both naval forces have limited resources, Lopez expressed optimism that through a well-coordinated exchange of intelligence, the Philippines and Malaysia can plug leaks along their borders that terrorists are using to their advantage.

The Royal Malaysian Navy under First Admiral Mohammad Rashid Bin Harun deployed two patrol gunboats with about 40 Navy personnel and its elite SEAL (sea-air-land) team.

Lopez said the Philippine Navy sent two gunboats, an islander plane and teams from the Special Warfare Action Group or SWAG, the local equivalent of Malaysia’s SEAL team.

Mohammad Rashid lauded the joint exercise as a possible deterrent to the terrorists who prowl the borders between Malaysia and the Philippines.

He also confirmed they have been receiving information that members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, reported to be the Southeast Asian arm of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network, travel between the Philippines and Malaysia through unguarded parts of the border between the two countries.

Mohammad Rashid said this information has already been transmitted to various security agencies of the Malaysian government, which is looking into intelligence reports, including a purported tip about the plans of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani to slip into Malaysia.