U.S. asked to train RI Navy to secure Malacca Strait<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A noted expert is urging the United States and other foreign
\ncountries to help train the Indonesian Navy in securing the
\nMalacca Strait and to not usurp the responsibility from Indonesia
\nand Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Hasyim Djalal, a coastal law expert and former diplomat, said
\non Thursday that foreign countries could provide assistance in
\nmapping the strait and train the coast guard to detect pirates
\noperating in the area.<\/p>\n
"They can help us through other means that will support patrol
\nteams in the strait, as the passage falls within our maritime
\nterritory and they do not have the authority to deploy troops
\nthere," Hasyim told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Reports of a possible deployment of U.S. troops surfaced after
\nthe top American military official in the Pacific, Adm. Thomas
\nFargo, told a congressional committee in Washington on March 31
\nthat the U.S. government had begun initial talks with Asian
\nnations on regional maritime security.<\/p>\n
Singapore is worried that piracy in the strait has entered a
\nnew phase with recent attacks conducted with almost military
\nprecision.<\/p>\n
Fargo said formal discussions on the plan, called the Regional
\nMaritime Security Initiative (RMSI), would begin by mid-year.<\/p>\n
The statement immediately irked both Malaysia and Indonesia,
\nthe countries in charge of security in the Malacca Strait, one of
\nthe world's busiest waterways.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted by the
\nNew Straits Times on Thursday rejecting the proposal: "There is
\nno need for us to engage foreign forces now. If ever there is a
\nneed for it, it is up to us to request, but clearly we have no
\nintention to ask for their presence."<\/p>\n
Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said
\nthere had not been any formal discussions with Washington about
\ndeploying U.S. military vessels in the strait.<\/p>\n
He also said that safety and security in the strait was based
\non the international maritime law and was the rightful
\nresponsibility of the states bordering it -- Malaysia and
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Hasyim said Indonesia and Malaysia had the capability to
\nhandle the security in the narrow 900-kilometer strait.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, deputy chairman of the Indonesian National
\nShipowners Association (INSA) Oentoro Surya said the Indonesian
\nNavy should improve their coordination with Malaysia in securing
\nthe waterway.<\/p>\n
"It is true that the security condition in the strait is very
\nbad, and the Navy seems to be powerless in securing the area. But
\nwe believe they could do better," Oentoro said.<\/p>\n
He alleged that pirate syndicates from Singapore, Thailand,
\nMalaysia and Indonesia were operating in the Malacca Strait.<\/p>\n
"Last October, we lost four tugboats in the strait, but the
\nNavy didn't do anything about it, even after we reported the
\nincident to them," he said.<\/p>\n
Oentoro, who owns a national shipping company, stressed that
\nthe pirate problem had been neglected for some time now, as the
\nauthorities focused on fighting against smuggling.<\/p>\n
He claimed that INSA had raised its concern regarding the lack
\nof security to Indonesian authorities several times.<\/p>\n
"But it is very difficult for us even to see the Western Fleet
\nCommander to discuss these security problems," Oentoro said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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