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Southeast Asia
Pirate attacks surge near Indonesia
2004-11-04
Pirates clad in black and armed with a fleet of motorcycles speed boats staged daring raids on shipping while one crewman suffered knife wounds in a new surge in attacks off Indonesia, maritime watchdogs said Wednesday.
"Yar, we be pyrates!"
Seven reports of serious incidents on vessels in waters off Indonesia were compiled by the International Maritime Bureau for the last week of October -- a significant rise in an area which usually sees two or three attacks per week. The Bureau has repeatedly warned of attempts to hijack ships in the Malacca Strait, which runs along the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and carries half the world's oil supplies and a third of global trade. Indonesian naval officials, who contribute to three-nation patrols of the Strait, have said the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah militants have plotted to target ships in the hope of using them as floating bombs.
In one incident last Tuesday, eight speedboats piloted by men in black descended on a container vessel at the northern entrance of the Strait, prompting crewmen to ward off the attackers with fire hoses. An identical raid was staged a day later by pirates, also in black, at the helm of speedboats elsewhere in the Strait, but they were again repelled by water jets. It was not clear if the same attackers were involved. Another attempt was foiled on Thursday off the coast of Indonesian Borneo, but one crewman suffered knife injuries in the attack, the Bureau said on its website.
In August, Indonesian naval commander Vice Admiral Didik Herupurnomo said the joint patrols of his fleet and the navies of Malaysia and Singapore had begun squeezing pirates out of the region since they began in July.
Guess he was wrong.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#4  The Indonesian Navy freelancing, possibly?

There is credible intel about that happening over the past few years. It's also possible that these are 'professionals' and not necessarily terrorists (tho they may be working with them).

IMNSHO, it looks like they're still doing training; trying to perfect tactics and monitor ship responses. Looks like many of the attacks are happening in the morning.

That the attacks are ocurring near Indonesia means the patrols on the north side of the Straits are working.
Posted by: Pappy   2004-11-04 11:05:16 PM  

#3  Repelling is perfect use for a traditional hopper fed Gatling gun. Screw the fire hose.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2004-11-04 10:30:46 AM  

#2  Pirate attacks surge near Indonesia

The Indonesian Navy freelancing, possibly?
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-11-04 10:27:24 AM  

#1  Repelled by "fire hoses"?
Yar! And they calls theyselves pirates?! Not in my corner of the bounding main! Yar!
Posted by: tu3031   2004-11-04 9:47:50 AM  

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