RI seeks regional help to combat sea piracy<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian police said on Friday it was seeking to beef up
\ncooperation in the region to combat the growing threat of sea
\npiracy.<\/p>\n
The sealanes in the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca
\nseparating Malaysia and Indonesia are among the busiest, and most
\ndangerous in the world.<\/p>\n
National police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said efforts would
\nbegin with neighboring Singapore whose navy was already working
\nwith Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Cooperation to combat sea piracy will be stepped up between
\nthe Singapore and Indonesian police,\" Bachtiar told reporters
\nwithout elaborating.<\/p>\n
\"Sea piracy is already a chronic problem, meaning that the
\nproblem is persistent and as we know our country's borders are
\nvery wide so it is quite difficult (to handle),\" he added.<\/p>\n
Da'i was speaking after President Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nawarded medals to the visiting Malaysian and Singaporean police
\nchiefs, Malaysia's Inspector General Norian Mai and Singapore
\nPolice Commissioner Khoo Boon Hui.<\/p>\n
Khoo said the medal \"reflects the close cooperation between
\nSingapore and Indonesia\" in the fight against transnational
\ncrime.<\/p>\n
Norian said intensive cooperation between Malaysian and
\nIndonesian police was \"bearing fruit\". He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in May sealed a
\ntrilateral security pact in a bid to bolster cooperation to
\ncombat terrorism and cross-border crime in the region.<\/p>\n
Pirate attacks have increased significantly in recent years in
\nSoutheast Asia's Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest
\nwaterways.<\/p>\n
The Piracy Reporting Centre, in its annual report for last
\nyear, said there were 335 actual or attempted pirate attacks in
\n2001. Indonesia was the world's most pirate-prone nation with 91
\nincidents and another 17 occurred in the Malacca Strait.<\/p>\n
The report said the strait had seen a remarkable drop in the
\nnumber of piracy attacks, compared to 75 in 2000. It credited
\nvigilant patrols, especially by Malaysian marine police.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-seeks-regional-help-to-combat-sea-piracy-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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