The Malaysian police helicopter appeared suddenly, banking sharply over the Japanese ship. As a bomb exploded on the deck, spewing wasabi-green smoke, five commandoes slid down a rope from the aircraft. Screaming "get down! get down!" the black-clad team chased two burly men who appeared to be pirates, overpowering and handcuffing them at gunpoint within minutes.But the commandoes and two grinning 'pirates' were soon posing for TV cameras and congratulating each other on a job well done: the first ever anti-piracy exercise involving Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. "It was plain sailing. Everything went smoothly," said Abdul Manaf Othman, an assistant commander in the Malaysian police, whose marine and air wings and special forces commandoes took part in the exercise yesterday near Phuket.
Officials hope such drills will sharpen skills and increase coordination among marine police from countries trying to stamp out piracy in Strait of Malacca, the world's busiest shipping lane. Authorities in some Asian countries have also been stepping up anti-piracy cooperation in recent years due to fears of possible maritime terror strikes in the strait.