Malacca patrol needs boost: Navy

JAKARTA: Joint patrols in the Strait of Malacca by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have reduced sea crime by 70 percent, an Indonesian Navy officer said on Friday, though he expected the operation to be stepped up.

Rear Adm. Tedjo Edhy, the Navy's fleet commander for the western area, said the joint patrols of the 500-nautical mile busy international shipping lane were effective, but the three countries needed to improve their coordination.

He was speaking after meeting with Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto in Jakarta.

Tedjo's operations assistant Col. Surya Wiranto, who attended the meeting, said the patrols were not as extensive as they could be as many ships did not use the 24-hour hotline set up for them to report incidents.

Tedjo did not specify the incidence of sea crime in the Strait of Malacca, where piracy and other transnational crimes are rampant. --Antara