'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.