REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo has just held a bilateral meeting with Philipine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Merdeka Palace on Friday (9/9). During the meeting, Jokowi thanked Duterte who has repatriated 168 Indonesian hajj pilgrim.
They were the victims of a syndicate of illegal hajj travel agencies arrested in the Philippines. Beside those 168 people, there were nine other victims that still stuck in Manila. "We asked President Duterte to help completion of this case," said Jokowi.
He added there were 700 Indonesian citizen who traveled to Saudi Arabia for hajj but using Philippines quotas. In addition about pilgrimage, Jokowi had mention about piracy at the sea border.
"We can work together to improve security in the Sulu sea," he said.
Duterte apologized to Jokowi about the piracy of Indonesian coal ship that occur in the Sulu sea. He then welcomed the agreement of three countries, Philippines, Indoonesia, and Malaysia to increase the securit on the sea border. "Piracy is an international crime that has hurt the values of humanity and hijacking that occurred in the border area has become a common problem that must be solved," he said.
After this bilateral meeting, Jokowi hoped in the future there will be no problem of maritime security in the sea border. "The two countries were intensify sea patrol in that area," he said.
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