KL detains Thais and Malaysian over tugboat attack<\/p>\n
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Malaysian police have detained four Thais and a Malaysian whose
\nfishing vessel is suspected of involvement in a pirate attack on
\na Japanese tugboat in the Strait of Malacca, a spokesman said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
\"We detained the fishing boat on Thursday. The five crew
\nmembers are being questioned now. The boat is alleged to have
\nbeen used in the attack,\" Mokhtar Othman, operations officer for
\nMalaysia's northern region marine police, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Mokhtar said the registration number of the Malaysia-
\nregistered boat was the same as that on one of the craft involved
\nin Monday's attack, in which two Japanese officers and a Filipino
\ncrewman were kidnapped.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian vessel was hijacked by pirates on the same day,
\nbut the crew and ship were later released. During the hijacking,
\none of the seamen tried to contact fellow seamen. This helped
\npolice estimate the location of the vessel.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that
\nthe police had narrowed down the location of the pirates.<\/p>\n
\"The National Police, along with North Sumatra and Riau
\npolice, are trying to detect the location of the pirate ship.
\nBased on our information, one of the kidnapped (Indonesian)
\nseamen tried to contact colleagues and from radio transmission we
\ndetermined that the location was around Berhala island near
\nSumatra. The area is vast,\" Da'i told The Jakarta Post and other
\nnewspapers on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"However, we don't yet know the location of the kidnapped
\nJapanese seamen or whether they were kidnapped by the same group.<\/p>\n
\"Based on our information, the pirate vessel used to hijack
\nthe Japanese ship was a fishing boat flying a Malaysian flag. So
\nfar there has been no negotiation with the hijackers,\" Da'i said.<\/p>\n
Mokhtar said the remaining crew of the tugboat and the barge
\nit was towing were expected to attend a lineup to ascertain
\nwhether the detained suspects were involved in the attack.<\/p>\n
The pirates, who are expected to make a ransom demand, had not
\nyet communicated with the Japanese shipowners, he said.<\/p>\n
Mokhtar said the marine police were under intense pressure to
\nlocate the kidnap victims and arrest the pirates and were working
\nclosely with their Indonesian counterparts.<\/p>\n
\"Since it involves international nationals, the focus is on us
\nto resolve the issue,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The strait, which carries a third of world trade and half its
\noil supplies, separates peninsular Malaysia and Singapore from
\nIndonesia's Sumatra island, providing the quickest route from the
\nIndian Ocean to the South China Sea.<\/p>\n
The U.S. ambassador to Malaysia said on Friday that Washington
\nwas concerned about piracy and the potential for terrorism in the
\nstrait and was prepared to help secure the vital shipping lane if
\nasked.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously, all of us are concerned about the increase over
\nthe period of time in pirate attacks. We must be concerned about
\npotential for terrorists to also operate somehow in the strait,\"
\nChristopher J. La Fleur was quoted as saying by the official
\nBernama news agency.<\/p>\n
\"The U.S. obviously has various sorts of military capability
\nand if asked, of course we will be happy to consult with
\ncountries in the region on this issue.\"<\/p>\n
Malaysia has repeatedly rejected the involvement of forces
\nfrom the United States or other foreign governments in patrolling
\nthe shipping lane, saying it would infringe on its sovereignty
\nand attract rather than repel terrorism.<\/p>\n
Indonesia also insisted on Friday that outsiders were
\nunwelcome on patrols in the strait because security was the
\nresponsibility of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's position is clear. We believe that the
\nresponsibility for maritime security in the Malacca Strait
\nbelongs to the littoral states, including Indonesia,\" foreign
\nministry spokesman Yuri Thamrin said.<\/p>\n
Singapore's defense minister Teo Chee Hean said on Thursday in
\nJakarta that Japan was considering a role in multinational
\npatrols in the strait.<\/p>\n
Thamrin said that while such a move was unwanted, Indonesia
\nwould welcome assistance aimed at strengthening its navy.<\/p>\n
La Fleur agreed that the three littoral states had the primary
\nresponsibility of dealing with pirate attacks.<\/p>\n
\"If there are ways that we can help, then certainly we are
\nprepared to talk.\"<\/p>",
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