KL unveils new plan for Malacca

KL unveils new plan for Malacca

Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia on Tuesday said it would place soldiers on islands in
the pirate-infested Malacca Straits to beef up security against
potential pirate and terror attacks on ships.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said some 10 army personnel
have already been deployed on two islands -- Perak and Kedah --
in the past two months but did not elaborate.

Najib, who is also defense minister, said other factors
including costs would be considered before placing soldiers on
other islands in the straits.

Besides the static presence of the troops, the navy would
maintain regular patrols, he said.

The announcement comes just a day after Malaysia and the
United States mended fences after an angry dispute over
protecting international shipping against terrorist attacks in
the vital straits.

The visiting commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Admiral
Thomas Fargo, ironed out the differences between the two
countries after talks with Najib.

Malaysia reacted strongly to recent reports that Washington
was considering deploying marines in the Straits to counter
terrorist threats in the narrow waterway, which carries a third
of world trade, saying this would infringe on its sovereignty.

But Najib said Malaysia was prepared to cooperate in other
ways with the United States over concerns that terrorists could
close the straits and cripple world trade or use a fuel tanker as
a floating bomb in a maritime version of the airborne Sept. 11
attacks.