ENHANCING MARITIME SECURITY IN THE MALACCA STRAIT: COOPERATION AGAINST PIRACY AND MARITIME TERRORISM

The Malacca Strait, together with the Singapore Strait, are two of the most important straits in the world and consequently there is significant traffic through them, reported to be approximately 60,000 vessels a year. The rising number of violent and well-coordinated attacks on transiting ships in these straits has become a very serious problem, such as threats of unauthorized boarding; theft of personal property, cargo and the ships themselves; and violence against, and the kidnapping or murder of, seafarers. One effort which is likely to enhance security in the Malacca Straits is the establishment of 'joint patrol areas', where more than one of the three littoral states will have the right to patrol and arrest persons and vessels where there is an incident of piracy. Extra regional assistance is also necessary to suppres and prevent piracy and maritime terrorism in the Malacca Strait, however the proposal by the United States to deploy its troops to help with patrolling these straits may violate the national soverignty of the three littoral states. Therefore, the foreign assistance given by the major user states should be given in other forms such as providing more advanced technology for combating piracy and terrorism, training for personnel who patrol the Malacca and Singapore straits and sharing intelligence information to prevent piracy and maritime terrorist attacks.