The Philippines has proposed an information-sharing system for Southeast Asia to help protect its waters from security challenges such as piracy, illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
The proposal was tabled on Wednesday at the start of a three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) maritime forum attended by deputy foreign ministers and senior foreign ministry officials in Manila.
The objective is to “provide timely, relevant and material information to appropriate action agencies to enable them to combat non-traditional security threats at sea”, the proposal said.
These threats include drug trafficking, gun smuggling, human trafficking, illegal fishing and weather disturbances, according to the proposal a diplomat gave to reporters.
The Philippines noted more than half of the world’s annual merchant tonnage passed through Southeast Asia’s waters, making co-operation vital.
No details were given as to how the information would be shared.