Safe strait, stable world

The parade of 17 warships from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the Strait of Malacca on Tuesday was more than a show of force to enhance the security and safety of commercial ships sailing through the narrow waters between Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. The three littoral states were also demonstrating to the world their determination to live up to their responsibility: To fight pirates, and more seriously, the threat of terrorism, whether real or perceived.

The Malsindo coordinated patrol between the three countries is particularly important to Indonesia. All eyes have been trained on Jakarta these past few years because, according to the International Maritime Bureau, most of the 28 pirate attacks that occurred in the 600-kilometer stretch of water in 2003 took place on Indonesian territory. The growing piracy problem in the strait was largely perceived as Indonesia's failure to live up to its responsibility to the international community.

The Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea, is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. More than 50,000 ships pass through the strait annually, carrying one-third of the global shipping trade and one-half of the entire world's crude oil shipment.

Its importance to the global economy cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Japan relies entirely on crude oil shipments that pass through the Strait of Malacca. China and South Korea are also heavily dependent on the safety of the strait to secure their booming economy. The strait facilitates trade between East Asia on the one hand, and the Middle East and Europe on the other. The two closest alternative sailing routes are the Sunda and Lombok straits, both are also controlled by Indonesia. The next alternative, through Australian waters, would be impractical and prohibitively costly.

Indonesia, as the country that controls these international sea lanes, must bear chief responsibility for the safety and security of ships that pass through its waters. Given the challenge that Indonesia faces in dealing with the growing security threat in the Strait of Malacca, it is appropriate that the Navy has sought ways to improve its own performance.

The ability of the Navy to do its job ultimately depends upon how much money the government allocates to it. Starved of funding due to Indonesia's long-running economic crisis, the Navy's armada today desperately needs to be upgraded. The Navy even has to fight to secure enough funding for its operations.

The decision to coordinate with the two other littoral states would seem a natural one to make, given the capability of the Navy and the mounting pressure upon it. Let's not forget, the Navy has a vast territory to cover and the Strait of Malacca is a relatively tiny -- albeit important -- area. Whether the operation with Singapore and Malaysia is sufficient to deter pirates or prevent a possible terrorist attack, only time will tell.

The threat of terrorism cannot be lightly dismissed. The October 2002 attack on the French oil tanker Limber in Yemeni waters, and the deadly strike on USS Cole in Aden port two years earlier, are warnings of the possibility of a "9/11 at sea". A terrorist attack on a slow-moving giant crude oil tanker or a vessel carrying chemicals in the Strait of Malacca would be absolutely devastating. If that were to occur, shipping in the strait would be crippled and the impact felt in Japan, China, South Korea, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

This raises a question, regarding sharing the burden to secure global shipping through the strait. The threat of terrorism has certainly made the challenge of securing the strait much more complex than simply dealing with small-time pirates that operate from the shore.

Indonesia's Military Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, in launching the coordinated patrol on Tuesday, said Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore welcome assistance and support from other countries in helping to patrol the Strait of Malacca. The three states would also consider the involvement of other countries.

It is time for other countries that have a stake in greater security for ships passing through the strait to take part. The ultimate responsibility for international ships sailing through Indonesian waters remains in our hands, but it would be nice if other countries -- who would benefit from a safer strait -- also chipped in, to ease the burden of the Indonesian people.