S'pore warns of pirate attacks

S'pore warns of pirate attacks

SINGAPORE: Navies patrolling the Malacca Straits are not equipped to stop a terror attack on the high seas, Singapore's defense minister warned in a speech on Monday that hinted that countries along the waterway should accept Washington's proposal for joint patrols.

An act of terror, said Teo Chee Hean, could force 50,000 ships to reroute and disrupt the world trading network.

"The littoral states are obviously not the only stakeholders in the Malacca Straits," said Teo. "Other users have a strong economic, if not also strategic, interest in ensuring that the Malacca Straits is kept open and safe."

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore straddle the narrow, 900- kilometer corridor between ports in East Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It is already a notoriously high-risk area for pirate attacks and is considered vulnerable to terrorist strikes.

"What is in place today is not adequate, as it is an intensive and complex task to safeguard regional waters against maritime terrorism," he said at the opening of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium exercise of countermeasures against mines. --AP