RI, Malaysia play down terror threat in Malacca Strait

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta

Indonesia and Malaysia on Friday declared there was no threat to ships from terrorists in the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

The two countries also jointly rejected the offer of the United States to help patrol the 800-kilometer strait in order to prevent terrorist attacks in the waterway.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda and his Malaysian counterpart, Syed Hamid Albar, made the comments after their bilateral talks on Friday in Jakarta.

"We are not worried that crimes (in the strait) have any involvement with terrorism," Hassan said.

Syed Hamid concurred, saying that based on data from the past six months, there had been no recorded incidents of terrorism in the strait.

"The strait is relatively safe if compared with other places under threat. During the past six months there was only one incident of piracy, and there have been no recorded incidents of terrorism -- so why we are talking about terrorism," he said.

The U.S. and Singapore have recently expressed concern the Malacca and the Singapore straits may be vulnerable to terror strikes that could choke vital international shipping routes between East Asia and the West.

Hassan and Syed Hamid rejected the involvement of any third parties patrolling the Strait of Malacca, which runs between Malaysia and Indonesia, without the consultation of the two countries.

"Malaysia and Indonesia again reiterate their rights and sovereignty as maritime countries to guarantee the security and safety of sea navigation in the strait," Hassan said.

He was referring to a recent suggestion by the top U.S. military officer in the Asia-Pacific region that American counter terrorism forces might be deployed in the strait to deter terrorist attacks.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta has said there was no U.S. plan to deploy the U.S. troops unilaterally in the Malacca Strait and that the officer was just floating an idea.

Syed Hamid insisted cooperation between countries and states using navigational waters was possible, but said it must be subject to discussions with the littoral states, adding that these states' dignity, sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be challenged.

He expressed confidence there would be no unilateral action by any state in the case of the Strait of Malacca, including the United States.

"I believe if the U.S. does anything in our region there will be a lot of consultation," he said. "I think they are already facing a lot of problems in other parts of the world and I don't think they would want to add new problems."

More than a quarter of the world's shipping traffic passes through the Strait of Malacca.