KL, Jakarta to join forces against piracy

KL, Jakarta to join forces against piracy

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia and Indonesia agreed on Thursday
to deploy their security forces in a joint war on pirates
threatening the safe passage of vessels through their territorial
waters.

"I believe that by working together, we can bring back
confidence in the waters surrounding Malaysia and Indonesia,"
Malaysian defense minister Najib Abdul Razak said after a meeting
with visiting Indonesian Military chief Adm. Widodo A.S.

Najib told reporters that the two Southeast Asian neighbors
would step up anti-piracy patrols "very soon".

Incidents of piracy in the Strait of Malacca between the
Indonesian island of Sumatra and Malaysia dropped from 30 in 1998
to 15 last year, Najib said.

However, it still remains one of the most dangerous shipping
channels in the world.

It is a vital sea lane for Japan and a crucial link to sources
of oil in the Middle East.

In November, Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi urged other
Asian countries to take stronger measures against piracy after a
trawler rescued crewmen who had been cast adrift after their ship
was hijacked in the Strait of Malacca.

A series of anti-piracy conferences are scheduled to be held
in Singapore in March and in Tokyo in April, during which Japan
may propose starting joint anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of
Malacca, with the participation of coast guards from Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore, China and South Korea.

Insurance and shipping companies claim that piracy is a
growing problem worldwide, and that one of the worst areas is the
Strait of Malacca, where some 2,000 ships pass daily.