India says 'yes' to securing Strait
India says 'yes' to securing Strait
Jakarta Post, Jakarta
India expressed its readiness on Wednesday to assist in
providing security in the Malacca Strait, one of world's busiest
sea lanes, when the three littoral states, Indonesia, Singapore
and Malaysia, asked New Delhi to help them.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, Indian foreign
minister, K. Natwar Singh, said it was in his own country's
national interests to ensure the strait remained a crime-free sea
lane.
"From our side it is affirmative," the minister replied when
asked whether India was willing to cooperate with Southeast Asian
countries to provide security in the strait.
Such cooperation is not new for India, said Singh. "We are
neighbors. Nicobar Island and the northern part of Sumatra are
only 80 miles (apart). And the Malacca Strait is equally
important strategically. And the answer is 'yes'," said Singh.
When asked what kind of cooperation his country could offer,
Singh replied, "Details can be worked out. I don't have the
details. But in principle 'yes'."
Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed on joint patrols
in the 805-kilometer long Malacca Strait, through which most
Japanese and Chinese imported oil and one third of world's traded
goods, pass.
The U.S. will likely raise concerns over rising sea piracy,
and the possible threats from terrorists along the strait, during
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum
(ARF) on Friday. Malaysia and Indonesia have rejected a U.S.
proposal to conduct joint patrols in the strait.
India and Indonesia began joint naval patrols off the Andaman
Islands in the Bay of Bengal to check poaching, smuggling and
drug trafficking in 2002.
India is also providing an escort for ships passing through
the Indian Ocean bound for Southeast Asia through the Malacca
Strait, between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted the International Maritime Bureau as
reporting that violent pirate attacks from Indonesia's northern
Sumatra island have soared, with seven kidnappings of crew for
ransom from their ships in the past 90 days alone. -- (For more stories
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