Joint air patrols begin in Malacca Strait

Joint air patrols begin in Malacca Strait

Clarence Fernandez, Reuters/Subang Air Force Base, Malaysia

The four Southeast Asian nations guarding the Malacca Strait
started joint air patrols of the vital sea lane on Tuesday when a
Malaysian military plane took to the air with Singaporeans on
board.

The Hercules C-130 took off from Subang air force base, on the
outskirts of the Malaysian capital, with a crew of seven
Malaysians and three Singaporeans -- a milestone in cooperation
for two neighbors with a long history of squabbling.

Regular flights over the waterway, a haunt for pirates, are
set to follow, with involvement from Indonesia and Thailand, the
other adjoining states. The planes will operate from all four
countries, using radar and digital imaging to spot pirates and
direct naval and coastguard vessels to intercept them.

"So much of the international community depends on the safety
and security of the Strait of Malacca and it is incumbent upon us
as littoral states to ensure the safety and security of the
strait...," Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak told reporters
at Subang, accompanied by his Singaporean counterpart, Teo Chee
Hean, and military officials from Indonesia and Thailand.

The narrow, 805-km waterway carries a quarter of global trade
and nearly all oil imports for Japan and China. There are fears
it could become a target for a terror attack.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore launched coordinated sea
patrols of the strait last year, but piracy and robbery have
remained rampant and they are under pressure from major users
such as Japan and the United States to step up security.

The three littoral states, which command most of the strait
and are home to its largest ports, have resisted international
involvement in policing the waterway because of sovereignty
concerns but are now inviting foreign powers to provide aircraft.

"I would consider this as phase one," Najib said.

"Phase two will entail the involvement of the international
community and we are hoping there will be offers ... to
participate in this 'Eyes in the Sky' program.

"Now it is incumbent on the international community to make
offers. We are open," he added.

Malaysia has said the monitoring equipment on board foreign
planes would be operated by crew from the littoral states, though
foreigners could fly the aircraft.

International maritime authorities welcomed the move, saying
it promised efficient use of law enforcement resources.

"At the end of the day what is essential is that a high risk
situation which is identified by the 'Eyes in the Sky' should be
followed up by action on the water," said Capt. Pottengal
Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau in
London.

"There must be resources and the will to do that. I think the
will is there, but I hope also the resources will be there to
take action. And then we will see a reduction in the attacks."

Piracy in the Strait has fallen this year, Mukundan added. The
Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur estimates there have been
nine pirate attacks so far this year.

The air patrols follow a July move by insurers to designate
the strait a high-risk area, after a security report that pirates
there were using the weapons and tactics of Islamic militants.

That step boosted transport costs and prompted strong
criticism from the multi-billion-dollar maritime industry and
littoral states, which said the threat was overblown.

Najib hoped the patrols would prompt a change of heart.

"We hope that they will look at it favorably -- in other
words, if we can ensure the security of the Strait of Malacca, we
hope that they will reconsider their decision."