Independent body to fight sea crimes badly needed

Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia needs an independent body to coordinate the combating of pirate attacks and other crimes in the country's waters, maritime law expert Hasyim Djalal said on Friday.

Speaking during a workshop on piracy, Hasyim, who is a former ambassador, noted that law enforcers and institutions involved in security in Indonesian waters had thus far been suffering from poor coordination due to their overlapping responsibilities.

"We have difficulties in handling pirate attacks and armed robberies at sea since the law gives the same responsibilities to law enforcers and the relevant ministries," Hasyim said.

These overlapping responsibilities, he added, had weakened law enforcement in dealing with maritime crimes.

The Marine and Fisheries Research Agency and the Navy have admitted the lack of coordination between the institutions involved, thus contributing to rampant piracy in Indonesian waters.

Noting the fact that Indonesia had contributed 91 cases, or 27.16 percent, to the total number of worldwide cases of piracy, Hasyim therefore proposed the establishment of an independent body which would have a clear structure and line of command.

"I would suggest (that the government) immediately set up a new coordinating body for maritime security, a body that would be better organized and clearly accountable," he said.

In its latest report, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that 91 of the piracy cases recorded across the world throughout 2001 took place in Indonesian waters. But the Navy's data puts the number at 61.

Hasyim said the new body should be established by government regulation or even a law. The government should also provide the body with adequate financial support and equipment to strengthen its capabilities.

He questioned the Navy's data on the number of maritime crimes, saying it they were increasing due to the economic slump and the government's neglect of the issue.

Navy data reveals that there were 61 cases of crimes committed at sea last year, 53 of which were armed robberies and the rest pirate attacks. Only two of the pirate attacks were solved.

The workshop was attended by 53 participants, who came from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Transportation, Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Navy.

The results of the workshop will be reported to the Indonesian Maritime Council, which is headed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the council's executive chairman Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri.