Indonesia , Malaysia and the Philippines have agreed to co-ordinate activity in an attempt to counter Abu Sayyaf . The Islamist extremist group has been responsible for a spate of kidnappings and boat hijackings, resulting in the recent death of three of its Canadian hostages after Canada refused to pay their ransoms. No cross-border agreement has been signed because the three sides are waiting for the new Islamist administration is waiting to be inaugurated. The meeting of defence ministers on 20 June followed a similar three 20 June between the countries’ prime ministers, in which calls were made to tackle the threat that Abu Sayyaf poses. This latest round of talks underlined the need for collective responsibility to address these threats.
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have agreed to co-ordinate activity in an attempt to counter Abu Sayyaf. The Islamist extremist group has been responsible for a spate of kidnappings and boat hijackings, resulting in the recent death of two of its Canadian hostages after Canada refused to pay their ransoms. No cross-border agreement has been signed because the three sides are waiting for the new Philippine administration is waiting to be inaugurated. The meeting of defence ministers on 20 June followed a similar one last month between the countries’ prime ministers, in which calls were made to tackle the threat that Abu Sayyaf poses. This latest round of talks underlined the need for collective responsibility to address these threats.