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| Southeast Asia |
| Private Armed Escorts for Anti-Piracy in SE Asia Waters |
| 2005-04-18 |
| From a 7 April AFP report: Singapore-based Background Asia Risk Solutions has its own armour-plated vessel that accompanies boats anywhere between Sri Lanka and the South China Sea for about 50,000 US dollars a mission, the Straits Times said. The company employs 60 former members of crack military units from Singapore and elsewhere, who carry out their escort missions armed with M-16 and M-4 assault rifles... the firm was set up nine months ago and had already had 12 jobs this year guarding oil rigs and tankers against pirate attacks. [Managing Director Alex] Duperouzel, a former fraud investigator from Australia, said the firm's boat had yet to engage in any combat with pirates, although it had warned off several suspicious vessels by using loud hailers, flares and spotlights. "When boats see we have well-disciplined, well-equipped teams, they usually move on and leave us alone," he said. However Duperouzel said his employees would not hesitate to use their artillery if necessary... Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia last year began coordinated patrols in the Malacca Strait. But with a recent increase in attacks, Malaysia has announced it will place armed police officers on board tugboats and barges plying the waterway. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 Back to issuing Letters of Mark and Reprisal! |
| Posted by: Chomose Spomoger7331 2005-04-18 12:42:49 PM |
| #1 Ahhhhh! Vigilantes! Minutemen! Militias! Stop them! Oh, they're not Americans? Carry on, then. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-04-18 9:09:05 AM |