Although there were odd cases of piracy and other transnational crimes in the Melaka Strait over the years, none of them was linked to any acts of terror, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Director-General Vice-Admiral Datuk Mohammad Nik said Wednesday. There was no proof of any "ill-intended activities at sea" related to any form of terrorism in the strait over the years, he said in a special interview with Bernama.[Mohammad] was refuting the allegation of the London-based Joint Committee on War (LJCW) which placed the strait in the "war risk and terrorism" zone list in June last year, based on perceived enhanced risk in relation to war terrorism. Some 50,000 merchant ships carrying 30 per cent of the world's trade and 80 per cent of East Asia's oil pass through the strait every year, making it a lure to activities of piracy.
But according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, cases of piracy in the 900km strait were reported to average only six to nine cases a year or 0.01 per cent. However, the committee's poor rating of the one of the world's widely-used waterways has caused insurance premium for ships traversing the strait to soar, passing on the increase to shipping freight rates.
Mohammad said that admittedly the government had no control over the level of insurance premium imposed on ships sailing through the straits.
"But at the same time it is probably a business opportunity where insurance companies take advantage of the situation," he said.
Singapore Police Coast Guard Commander Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Jerry See said it was interesting to find out how the LJCW calculated the war risk of a waterway.
"They have not only placed Malaysia in the list last year but continue to do so this year, despite the improvement in security of the strait. The tag of a war risk zone for the strait is certainly unwarranted," he told Bernama in an interview today. He was referring to the Melaka Strait being free of crime since last October, with only one piracy case between June and December last year.
| The littoral states are beginning to cooperate with one another and allowing user nations to lend support and expertise. Malaysia is forming a Coast Guard. Piracy in the Straits has dropped a bit, or at least there are more arrests. The Joint Committee on War can claim a good part of the credit. Proves that once you have them by the wallet, their hearts and minds will follow... |