A Philippines’ ship in the East Sea. (Photo: Thechive)

An international workshop on “Maritime Security in Southeast Asia” took place in Jakarta on Thursday. The event was co-organized by the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Indonesia’s Habibie Center. Delivering the opening speech, Ima Abdulrahim, CEO of Habibie Center, said that the workshop is a forum for experts in maritime security in the region to exchange and discuss various maritime issues involving sharing information, security, environment, law, and defense. The workshop agreed that it must be based on legal platforms, including the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea and the DOC, which were recognized by the world, to ensure maritime security. Delegates also noted that maritime security in Southeast Asia can be ensured if a collective defence and security mechanism is built on the basis of developing and broadening such mechanisms as ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM), ADMM+1, and ADMM+3 with ASEAN dialogue partners.