'Eyes in the Sky' patrol over Malacca to start soon

'Eyes in the Sky' patrol over Malacca to start soon

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Defense ministers from four Southeast Asian countries -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
and Singapore -- will launch the "eyes in the sky" coordinated
air patrol over the Strait of Malacca next Tuesday from Subang
Airbase in Kuala Lumpur.

Col. Suryo Wiranto, Assistant of Operational Affairs at the
Indonesian Navy's Western Fleet Command, said that the patrol
would be carried out by personnel from the four countries.

The personnel or aircraft could enter each other's territory,
but the limit was set at three nautical miles from the coast, he
said.

"Each country will prepare one to two aircraft manned by
personnel from all the countries. We'll make sure that all the
countries will carry on with the daily missions," he said.

He also said that the countries would use small aircraft for
the patrols.

He reiterated that the air patrol was also open to foreign
assistance as long as they did not breach the principles of
national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We will give foreign governments the opportunity to assist us
in logistical matters, such as providing aircraft or surveillance
systems. But only these four countries will carry out the
mission," Wiranto told reporters on the sidelines of the Jakarta
Meeting on Straits of Malacca and Singapore here on Thursday.

The "eyes in the sky" program was endorsed by armed forces'
chiefs from three littoral states, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Singapore, during a meeting earlier in August in Kuala Lumpur,
under Malaysia's initiative.

The Royal Navy of Thailand was invited to join the coordinated
patrol as the closest neighbor.

Malaysia's Defense Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying
by AP after the August meeting that governments outside the
region could contribute planes and other equipment for the air
patrols to make up for insufficient aircraft in the littoral
states.

Meanwhile, Indonesia also comes with its own initiative to
improve security in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Wiranto said that Indonesia had proposed a comprehensive
approach called the Malacca Straits Security Initiative (MSSI)
involving the Navy from the four countries.

Under the initiative, the navies will conduct coordinated
patrols to complement the air patrols, install maritime
surveillance systems and share intelligence information.

The navies would also review any bilateral agreements that
address cross-border pursuit. "Patrolling units, operating within
their own national sectors, will also continuously track and
shadow offenders so as to facilitate the handing over of the
offenders to the appropriate state unit in accordance with
existing agreements," Wiranto explained to participants at the
meeting.

The navies would also conduct a public information campaign
"in order to counter negative publicity and to promote the image
of maritime security" in the strait, he said.

The meeting was concluded on Thursday, with the signing of a
memorandum of understanding between Indonesia, Malaysia and
Singapore and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on
the development of a regional Marine Electronic Highway (MEH)
demonstration project in the two key waterways.

The MEH project is an informational network system to be built
along the straits to help with navigation and to track passing
ships.

The meeting, attended by representatives from 34 countries and
observers from intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, issued a Jakarta declaration, whereby the
participants agreed to pursue a regular dialog and exchange of
information on the safety, security and environmental protection
of the strait.

The statement also said that the littoral states would enhance
the capacity of the navies and police patrolling the strait
through maritime exercises and training programs.