War on piracy fails to quell worldwide attacks this year
War on piracy fails to quell worldwide attacks this year
KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Pirate attacks mounted worldwide in the
first six months of this year, buoyed by Indonesia's sinking
economy and straggling sea patrols, a monitoring group reported
Thursday.
Southeast Asia remained a pirates' paradise, contributing 85
of 165 attacks across the globe from January through June, the
International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy watch
center said.
The worldwide total was up slightly from 161 cases recorded in
the first six months of last year, and 115 in the same period of
1999, the center reported in its quarterly survey.
"It is common knowledge that attacks originate from
Indonesia," it said. "Declining economic conditions and lack of
maritime patrolling have exacerbated the piracy threat in
Indonesia and surrounding waters."
Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous nation,
nevertheless recorded fewer attacks in the first half of this
year - 44 off its archipelago's 13,000 islands compared to 56 in
the same period of 2000.
Bandits picked up the slack in neighboring Malaysia, where
attacks doubled from seven in the first six months of last year
to 13 this year, despite the Malaysian navy boosting efforts to
battle piracy.
The Philippines - struggling to contain cash-rich rebels
rolling in ransom from chronic kidnappings - also grew more
afflicted, with four cases reported so far this year compared to
one in the first half of 2000.
During this period, Ghana also suffered a rise from no cases
last year to 3 in 2001, while Tanzania went from one to 3.
Papua New Guinea, Trinidad, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar,
Senegal, Iran and Iraq each recorded one attack in 2001 compared
to none in the first six months of last year.
Three crew members were killed and 19 wounded this year in the
six-month period under survey, the report said. None were killed
in the first half of last year, while 13 people were injured.
The report said the war on piracy was hampered by differing
opinions - while some governments want joint patrols, others say
action against pirates is "best unilaterally undertaken by the
state that harbors them."
"Governments continue to differ on how their waters should be
policed and have resisted giving foreign government forces access
to their territory," the report said, without specifying any
countries.
The IMB advised ship owners to install satellite tracking
systems that have proven helpful in recovering hijacked vessels.
It also said that all suspicious craft should be reported to the
Malaysian piracy watch center.