Action urged on piracy

Action urged on piracy

SINGAPORE (AP): Piracy is a menace in Southeast Asia and countries in the region must cooperate more to prevent attacks, Singapore's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Pirates are becoming more sophisticated, hijacking whole ships for their cargo, S. Jayakumar told those attending a maritime conference.

He said the waters around the Strait of Malacca were the most prone in the world to pirate attacks and ship owners, ship officers, crews, law enforcement officials and navies must do more.

The waters around Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are among the world's most pirate-infested. Last year, more than a third of the world's maritime attacks took place in the busy channels.