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