KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Indonesia, whose waters are prone to pirate attacks, will deploy four Japanese patrol vessels along its side of the Straits of Melaka by end of this year.First Admiral Budhi Suyitno, Indonesia's chairman of the Malaysia-Indonesia Maritime Operation Planning Team (Malindo), said Wednesday his government was still discussing Japan's offer but stressed that the vessels were solely for non-military purpose...
"The vessels will be received by non-military agencies like the Customs department, Indonesian marine police or the Indonesian sea information agency," he told reporters after attending the 14th Malindo meeting here.
He said the vessels, measuring about 40m and with a speed of 30 to 40 knots, would be given free to Indonesia but on a condition that they were strictly used to maintian safety along the busy straits.
The safety of the Straits of Melaka, an international sealane where some 400 ships ply the waters daily, had come under international scrutiny in recent years due to constant threats from marauding sea pirates who rob vessels and kill their crew in the high seas.
Tuesday, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), in its 2005 half-yearly report on Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships, revealed that Indonesia recorded the highest number of attacks, accounting for one third of the world's total with 42 incidents.
About 127 cases were recorded in the first six months of this year...