(2 Mar 2001) English/Nat
Piracy in the Malacca Straits, one the world's busiest shipping lanes, has increased due to the Asian economic crisis, according to a report released on Friday.
The International Maritime Bureau on Piracy and Armed Robbery's annual report on piracy against ships, shows that 75 attacks occurred last year in the Straits, between Indonesia and Malaysia and Singapore.
Malaysia's maritime police patrol the straits 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to prevent robberies and track down pirates.
About 300 ships a days cruising in the Straits, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
The Maritime Bureau says that attacks on ships have increased due to the increased economic and political upheaval in Indonesia, which has been wracked by turmoil since the Asian financial crisis struck the country more than three years ago.
The Malaysian Marine Police, based in Johor Bahru, 350 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur, face two problems: First is the wide area they must survey, for which they use 52 boat, including 4 inflatable speedboat for their strike force.
Second, they cannot chase the pirates into the territorial waters of Indonesia and Singapore, though they cooperate closely with the coast guards of those countries.
The routine mission of the patrol boat is to check any boat that could belong to a pirate gang, generally small wooden craft with powerful engine, and to rely on intelligence and emergency call from ships.
On this recent patrol, the Straits were full of shipping but no pirates reared their head. Two suspect boats were checked, but no weapons or evidence of piracy were found on board.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Whenever we do our boarding we have to be... first we have to look after our safety so under any situation that's how we board the boat. So because we didn't know, they are our .. what do you call this good people. So that is the normal standard of our operation."
SUPER CAPTION: Superintendent Abdul Aziz B. Yusof, Marine Police Chief
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