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