Java Sea, Lombok Strait becoming more dangerous, government says

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.