Photo credit: Kleomarlo (The Coffee's Blank map of the Philippines) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Trilateral Interagency Maritime Law Enforcement Working Group
AKA
Trilateral Interagency Maritime Law Enforcement Workshops
Summary
Since 2008, the U.S.-sponsored Trilateral Interagency Maritime Law Enforcement Working Group has aimed to better coordinate among Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the U.S. on matters of interdiction and maritime security in the Sulu/Sulawesi Seas Littoral, which the U.S. has characterized as a “terrorist safe haven.” According to the U.S. government, in the “terrorist safe havens” section of its 2013 Country Report on Terrorism, “The numerous islands in the Sulawesi Sea and the Sulu Archipelago makes it a difficult region for authorities to monitor. The range of licit and illicit activities that occur there – including worker migration, tourism, and trade – pose additional challenges to identifying and countering the terrorist threat.” The report notes that “[t]errorist safe havens described in this report include ungoverned, under-governed, or ill-governed physical areas where terrorists are able to organize, plan, raise funds, communicate, recruit, train, transit, and operate in relative security because of inadequate governance capacity, political will, or both.”
Members
The members of the Working Group include the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Additional Information