Malaysia, RP to boost maritime patrols to combat piracy

Malaysia and the Philippines will step up coordinated patrols in the Sulawesi Sea to deter pirate attacks and other maritime crimes, officials said Tuesday. Both countries cooperate in such patrols twice a year in the waters between Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island and the southern Philippines, said Abdul Hadi Rashid, director of Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center.