M'sia, Indonesia to step up ties
Friday, May 11, 2007
b>Better cooperation needed to boost security along shared borders
THE armed forces of Malaysia and Indonesia yesterday agreed to step up cooperation to boost security along shared borders after successful patrols in the Malacca Strait.
Malaysia's armed forces chief Abdul Aziz Zainal said since both countries had begun coordinated patrols, piracy incidents were sharply down in one of the world's most important and busiest waterways.
Abdul Aziz and Indonesia's armed forces chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto began talks yesterday in Kuala Lumpur to map strategies to fight cross-border crime and terrorism.
"In terms of piracy incidences along the Malacca Straits, reports have declined by 99 per cent since we started coordinated patrols at the straits," Abdul Aziz told reporters.
"In the past seven months we have only received one report of piracy along the Straits of Malacca and even then, it was a minor incident," he said.
The International Maritime Bureau in its first quarter report last month said that attacks along the Malacca Strait had declined due to aggressive patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The maritime security watchdog said that pirates were lying low following security measures taken by the three littoral states.
Suyanto said the waterway had been much safer due to coordinated air and sea patrols by the littoral states.
"Everywhere where we share a common border, whether it's in Borneo or in the Malacca Straits, there would be security issues but as long as we are committed to solving these issues... it would not affect bilateral ties," Suyanto said.
The meeting between the defence chiefs covered illegal logging, human smuggling and terrorism.
Illegal logging and mining are serious problems in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, which is shared with Malaysia.
Abdul Aziz said the annual meeting was a platform to foster bilateral ties and enhance security operations and training activities between Indonesia and Malaysia at their common border.
In Jakarta, though Indonesia hit out at the International Maritime Bureau yesterday over a report that names its waters as the most dangerous in the world.
Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said the bureau in its recent report had deliberately attempted to undermine the Southeast Asian nation's competitiveness on the world stage.
Sudarsono said the report also implied that the nation's security forces were incapable of maintaining law and order in the Malacca Straits, through which half of the world's oil shipments travel.
"I am afraid that those numbers (are intended) to weaken our competitiveness. It was written as if our armed forces and police are incapable of maintaining order (in the Straits)," Sudarsono told ElShinta radio. "(Piracy cases) decreased a lot last year."
The London-based bureau reported last month that Indonesian waters accounted for nearly a quarter of all pirate attacks in the first three months of the year.
The international maritime watchdog said attacks were declining in the area, but seafarers should remain on alert while sailing there.
It also said that the vast archipelago nation should be applauded for its efforts to reduce the number of attacks.
The three states bordering the straits — Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia — have implemented several security measures, including coordinated air and sea patrols, to secure the vital waterway.
AFP
THE armed forces of Malaysia and Indonesia yesterday agreed to step up cooperation to boost security along shared borders after successful patrols in the Malacca Strait.
Malaysia's armed forces chief Abdul Aziz Zainal said since both countries had begun coordinated patrols, piracy incidents were sharply down in one of the world's most important and busiest waterways.
Abdul Aziz and Indonesia's armed forces chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto began talks yesterday in Kuala Lumpur to map strategies to fight cross-border crime and terrorism.
"In terms of piracy incidences along the Malacca Straits, reports have declined by 99 per cent since we started coordinated patrols at the straits," Abdul Aziz told reporters.
"In the past seven months we have only received one report of piracy along the Straits of Malacca and even then, it was a minor incident," he said.
The International Maritime Bureau in its first quarter report last month said that attacks along the Malacca Strait had declined due to aggressive patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The maritime security watchdog said that pirates were lying low following security measures taken by the three littoral states.
Suyanto said the waterway had been much safer due to coordinated air and sea patrols by the littoral states.
"Everywhere where we share a common border, whether it's in Borneo or in the Malacca Straits, there would be security issues but as long as we are committed to solving these issues... it would not affect bilateral ties," Suyanto said.
The meeting between the defence chiefs covered illegal logging, human smuggling and terrorism.
Illegal logging and mining are serious problems in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, which is shared with Malaysia.
Abdul Aziz said the annual meeting was a platform to foster bilateral ties and enhance security operations and training activities between Indonesia and Malaysia at their common border.
In Jakarta, though Indonesia hit out at the International Maritime Bureau yesterday over a report that names its waters as the most dangerous in the world.
Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said the bureau in its recent report had deliberately attempted to undermine the Southeast Asian nation's competitiveness on the world stage.
Sudarsono said the report also implied that the nation's security forces were incapable of maintaining law and order in the Malacca Straits, through which half of the world's oil shipments travel.
"I am afraid that those numbers (are intended) to weaken our competitiveness. It was written as if our armed forces and police are incapable of maintaining order (in the Straits)," Sudarsono told ElShinta radio. "(Piracy cases) decreased a lot last year."
The London-based bureau reported last month that Indonesian waters accounted for nearly a quarter of all pirate attacks in the first three months of the year.
The international maritime watchdog said attacks were declining in the area, but seafarers should remain on alert while sailing there.
It also said that the vast archipelago nation should be applauded for its efforts to reduce the number of attacks.
The three states bordering the straits — Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia — have implemented several security measures, including coordinated air and sea patrols, to secure the vital waterway.
AFP
Business Besides Oil
