Java Sea, Lombok Strait becoming more dangerous, government says

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has added the Java Sea and Lombok Strait to the Strait of Malacca as the most dangerous waters in terms of pirate attacks on merchant vessels.

Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said his ministry had sufficient evidence to declare the Java Sea and Lombok Strait dangerous for merchant vessels, although there were no exact figures on the number of pirate attacks in these two bodies of waters.

"Aside from the Strait of Malacca, the ministry has found that the Java Sea and Lombok Strait contain a high degree of risk from piracy," he said at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Hatta said the ministry's coast guard units had reported a rising number of pirate attacks in the two waters, presumably aided by a lack of security personnel to guard the waters. The rising incidence of piracy could also be the result of the general poverty of the people living along the bodies of water.

The ministry has sent a report on the matter to the Navy and the National Police.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors piracy around the world, recently put Indonesia at the top of its watch list. There were 42 attacks on merchant vessels recorded in Indonesia during the first half of this year.

The incidents, most of which occurred in the Strait of Malacca, accounted for 33 percent of the world's total pirate attacks during the first half of the year. The UK-based IMB recorded 127 global attacks, down from 182 in the same period last year.

According to the agency, many of the pirates, who are armed with guns and knives, take control of the targeted vessels and kidnap the mariners for ransom.

Hatta said Indonesia should not take all of the blame for piracy in the Strait of Malacca, as parts of the strait are controlled by Malaysia and Singapore.

The foreign ministers from the three countries met in Indonesia on Batam island on Tuesday to discuss how to boost security in the 900-kilometer strait.

AP reported on Monday that Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda complained that the IMB was misrepresenting the nature of the security problems in the strait, which links Asia with the Middle East and Europe and through which passes most of the world's tankers and at least 30 percent of global container ships.

The United States has offered to send battleships to patrol the strait, but the offer was rejected by Indonesia and Malaysia over concerns the U.S. might try and interfere in their internal affairs.

Hatta expressed concern the country's exporters and importers would be severely affected by the pirate attacks, which could eventually drive up freight costs to cover higher insurance premiums.

"If there are no signs the attacks are abating, I am concerned that insurance charges for merchant vessels sailing to Indonesia will increase, eventually affecting the local business community," he said.