RI, Malaysia police stage joint patrols

RI, Malaysia police stage joint patrols

BATAM, Riau Islands: Despite regular diplomatic spats between
Indonesia and Indonesia, the Riau Islands Police are holding
joint patrols with their counterparts from the Malaysian police
in the pirate-infested Malacca Strait.

The patrols, which began
on Tuesday and will continue for one week, are being participated
in by three Riau Islands Police boats and two Selangor state
police boats, said Riau Islands Police chief Sr. Comr. Anton
Bahrul Alam. Anton also said that the initiative involved 100
police officers from both sides.

The joint patrols were aimed at preventing piracy in the
Malacca Strait and illegal fishing by vessels from both
countries, said Anton. The joint patrols are taking place only a
few months after the eruption of the Ambalat dispute that brought
diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Malaysia to a new low.
-- JP