By Prashanth Parameswaran
Singapore’s navy chief suggests that the idea could be realized soon.
On May 11, Singapore media outlets reported that Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia are in discussions to extend joint patrols to the lower reaches of the South China Sea to tackle piracy.
According to Singapore Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han, the states were hoping to start the patrols “sooner rather than later,” and Singapore is “more than ready to move on this.”
The idea of joint patrols by Southeast Asian states in the South China Sea has been floated both privately and publicly in the past. As I have written previously, the proposal made headlines earlier this year when Vice Admiral Robert Thomas said at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition following the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting in Malaysia that ASEAN countries could streamline cooperation on maritime security while respecting sovereignty and coastal space, as was the case with counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden.
Read the full story at The Diplomat