'Piracy surges in Indonesia'

'Piracy surges in Indonesia'

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Indonesia is witnessing a surge in piracy, with nearly a third of the world's sea robberies taking place in its water during the first five months of this year, an official report said yesterday.

The Regional Piracy Center of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said 17 pirate attacks were reported in Indonesian waters between January and May, compared to seven in the Hong Kong-Luzon-Hainan zone and nine off Somalia.

The Kuala Lumpur-based center said it recorded 58 cases of piracy worldwide in the five months, a "sharp increase" over the 40 reported in the corresponding period of last year.

An IMB spokesman, however, said there was a possibility that attacks in Indonesian waters might drop over the next five to six months. "Piracy tends to move around. Hopefully, the trend will fall away by the end of the year, as it often does," the spokesman said.