ASEAN told to combat piracy

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Indonesia urged on Tuesday members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish security cooperation to combat piracy in international waters in the region.

"Security cooperation is badly needed on the grounds that piracy has reached an alarming level in three international waterways," said Ibrahim Jusuf, head of Research and Policy Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The international waters in question are the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean.

Citing International Maritime Organization (IMO) data, Ibrahim said that last year 24 acts of piracy had occurred in the Strait of Malacca, 112 in the South China Sea and 46 in the Indian Ocean.

The cases occurred in Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Bruneian and the Philippines waters, among others.

According to Ibrahim, the proposed joint security cooperation should focus on improving surveillance at sea and security at seaports.

He also said that ASEAN should consider the establishment of a Strait of Malacca Task Force involving the security forces of each country along the strait, particularly since it was one of the busiest shipping lanes in the region.

Ibrahim said the establishment of such a task force was timely, as pirates had become bolder and dared to attack and rob cargo ships anchored in seaports along the strait.

They usually operate in groups of four and use small and fast boats, he said. "Cargo ships are most commonly robbed when anchored at nearby seaports," said Ibrahim.

Data reveals that 79 percent of piracy cases in the region occurred at seaports along the strait, while only 21 percent occur at sea, said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim was speaking before a seminar titled ASEAN Cooperation in Combating Piracy held on Tuesday in the North Sumatra capital of Medan. The seminar, held by the Directorate General of ASEAN Cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was opened by North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin.

Some 100 participants attended the seminar, including students, security personnel, civil servants and activists from local non-governmental organizations.

Meanwhile, the acting director general of ASEAN cooperation, Marty Natalegawa, said that piracy at sea had been the main concern of ASEAN in recent years.

In a written statement read out at the seminar by Awang Bahrin, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marty said piracy had disrupted international trade in Southeast Asia.

He warned that if the crime was not overcome immediately, it could become a part of international crime -- such as terrorism, money laundering and arms smuggling -- that endangered peace and security in the region.

"Piracy can turn into terrorism, if the pirates manipulate it for political reasons," the statement read.

Ibrahim said that pirates usually used sharp weapons, for example machetes and spears, and only 13 percent used guns, including Russia-made AK-47s or U.S.-made M-16 rifles.

In order to end the use of guns in piracy, Ibrahim asserted that ASEAN countries should improve surveillance on illegal arms trafficking.