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."