RP, Malaysia conduct border patrol exercise

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The annual RP-Malaysia border patrol exercise starts today in this city with a coordinating conference at the Southern Command headquarters.

Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) contingent commander Captain Nasaruddin Bin Othman, his staff and 48 personnel arrived on Monday morning aboard two Malaysian gunboats at the Majini Pier of the Naval Forces South in Zamboanga City.

The six-day border patrol exercise aims to clamp down on international criminals using the border to elude arrest, navy officials said.

Commodore George Uy, chief of the Philippine Naval Forces for Southwestern Mindanao, said the exercise will endeavor to come up with procedures to improve the inter-operability of the two navies.

"The exercise will also determine how far the navy of both countries can cross in the border to go after lawless groups committing transnational crimes," Uy said.

Both countries have intensified patrols of its common border following the kidnapping of tourists by the Abu Sayyaf group in Sipadan, Malaysia three years ago.

The Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf are reportedly taking refuge in some islands in Malaysia crossing the border to escape from the military’s punitive operation.

According to Uy, the timely sharing of intelligence information would help both authorities guard the