 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Malaysia Indonesia Joint Straits Patrols A Success
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 15, 2005 Malaysia on Thursday said joint patrols with neighbouring Indonesia against piracy in the busy Malacca Strait had cut down on pirate attacks. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also defence minister, said the coordinated patrols had helped to allay fears that the bustling waterway was unsafe. "Malaysia and Indonesia stepped up the coordinated patrols between their maritime agencies to counter and correct this perception and to avoid foreign military presence in the strait," he was quoted saying by Bernama news agency. There has been a sharp drop in attacks from 25 in the first nine months of 2004 to 10 in the same period this year. The figures for the first few months of 2005 were also affected by last year's December 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated parts of Indonesia and also curtailed pirates' activities. The narrow strait is bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Najib said aerial surveillance begun in September -- using aircraft from all three countries -- proved that littoral states were capable of managing security in the strait. "The issue of peace in the Malacca Strait is the joint responsibility of the littoral states and (we) reject the presence of foreign troops in the strait," said Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono, in Malaysia for a border meeting. Last month, Pottengal Mukundan, London-based director of the International Maritime Bureau, said there was a dramatic reduction in attacks on ships in the strategic waterway this year. "We believe it is attributed to an increase in patrols by Indonesia on its side of the strait," he said. Pirate attacks worldwide dropped 18 percent in the first nine months of this year to 205 but Indonesian waters remained the most dangerous, and accounted for nearly one third of the total.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Piracy In Malacca Strait Down Thanks To Indonesia Patrols
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Nov 30, 2005Indonesia's efforts to boost naval and air patrols in the notorious Malacca Strait helped suppress piracy there this year, but any let-up will see the attacks quickly resume, a top official has warned. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
