Asian nations told to protect waterways

Asian nations told to protect waterways

Asian countries still needed to improve security in some of the world's busiest commercial waterways amid increased fears of piracy and maritime terrorism, a conference heard in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

Malaysia's transport minister Chan Kong Choy told the two-day meeting on maritime security that some shipping lanes would remain vulnerable unless they were protected vigilantly.

"It is time for Asian countries with busy waterways to recognize the potential threats and problems that may arise if shipping lanes are not monitored and enforced properly," Chan said.

Singapore and Malaysia are already discussing the possibility of providing security on ships plying the Malacca Strait to guard against terrorist attacks, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said in August.

Chan did not identify any Asian country that needs to step up security, but Noel Choong, regional manager with the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur told AFP that neighboring Indonesia still lagged behind.

"We would like to see countries like Indonesia beefing up its patrols because a lot of piracy occurs in Indonesian waters," he said.

Choong said there had been two confirmed kidnap and ransom cases in the Malacca Strait off the coast of Belawan in Indonesian waters this month.

"It's not a very good sign. These are serious crimes. We had hoped that with the coordinated patrols, these incidents would decrease. But this is not the case," he added.

Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in July began coordinated patrols in the Malacca Strait, a narrow waterway that hosts one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

But Malaysia has ruled out the idea of U.S. marines helping to patrol the waterway, saying such a move would merely provoke Islamic militants.

Chan said Asia, which accounts for the largest concentration of shipping lines in the world and generates more than 48 percent of the world's container throughput, needs to ensure the safety of its shipping routes.

Among the important waterways in the region are the Malacca Strait, South China Sea, Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, Straits of Makassar, Sulawesi Sea, Philippines Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

Chan said these sealanes need to remain safe and secure to foster sustained growth and development as they provided "vital links between our region to major markets in China, North America, Europe and Japan."

Chan did not specify the nature of threat but neighboring Singapore has expressed fears pirates could team up with terrorists and mount a devastating attack on the Malacca Strait to cripple global trade. -- AFP