Securing the straits

Securing the straits

Speaking at a regional security forum in Singapore on Sunday,
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak had called on the international
community to make "concrete contributions" to help the littoral
states develop the capabilities which would allow them to
continue to make the Straits of Malacca "an unattractive target
for pirates and terrorists".

In this particular case, while user nations could assist in
delivering the aircraft, it would be Malaysian defense personnel
who would be operating the aircraft. It cannot be otherwise if
such assistance is to stay in line with the country's stand on
safety in the straits.

Malaysia believes that any course of action to ensure maritime
security and any role for user states should take into account
the need to respect the sovereignty of nations as well as the
primary position of the littoral states.

For this reason, Malaysia has been averse to foreign warships
participating in the patrolling of the straits, or to merchant
ships flying foreign flags being escorted by their own naval
vessels, or to mercenaries being hired to provide security.

While safe passage through the straits is an issue of
international interest because of its strategic importance to
global trade, this is not sufficient grounds for the deployment
of foreign navies. Apocalyptic predictions of terrorist attacks
on shipping in the straits cannot be used as a pretext for
foreign military intervention in the region.

The international community will only be reassured of our
ability to safeguard the straits if we can demonstrate the
effectiveness of our measures to deal with the threats. This is
the only way to check unwanted intervention by external powers in
what is purely a matter for the littoral states of the Straits of
Malacca.
-- New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur