Alarm over rise in SE Asian piracy

Updated September 7, 2010 13:05:32

Calls have gone out for more action to combat piracy in the South China Sea after the latest attack on Sunday - there have been nine pirate attacks in the area between Singapore and Borneo in the past three weeks.

In the latest attack, armed men boarded a Japanese tanker near Indonesia's Mangkai Island and robbed the crew.

Presenter: Karon Snowdon
Speakers: Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director, International Maritime Bureau; Joseph Entero, secretary general, International Seafarers Action; Lt Colonel Edgard Aredalo, spokesman, Philippine navy

SNOWDON: It's the 27th attack in this major shipping lane since February - and the ninth in just three weeks.

It happened in Indonesian waters at the southern end of the South China Sea along the east coast of the Malaysian Peninsular - an important sea lane that joins the Malacca Straits.

The International Maritime Bureau is an arm of the global chamber of commerce, which monitors piracy.

The IMB's director, Captain Pottengal Mukundan, says the increase in piracy attacks is serious.

MUKUNDAN: Yes, there has been a concentration of attacks in the last three weeks, usually at night. They typically go to the bridge, they hold the bridge complement hostage while they steal cash and valuables from the captain and other members of the crew. This is a new phenomenon and I think it needs to be dealt with very firmly by the Indonesian navy and if they don't do that the audacity and violence of these attacks will increase.

SNOWDON: A week ago, pirates boarded a Hong Kong flagged ship and injured three crew members before escaping.

The number of attacks has doubled since last year.

In contrast, the formerly notorious Malacca Straits has not seen a serious pirate attack this year, due to the effective patrols by the Indonesian and Malaysian navies.

The International Seafarers Action centre, based in the Philippines, wants the Philippine navy to cooperate with neighbouring forces to put an end to this new threat.

The general secretary of the centre, Joseph Entero.

ENTERO: This is quite alarming and I hope the Philippine government will immediately act on this development because this is almost located in our backyard already. Because the Philippine government right now has been conducting a joint patrol watch with the neighbouring countries, I hope this will be intensified. But I think in this area of the South China Sea, I don't think there is much joint patrol here.

SNOWDON: Navy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Aredalo says the latest attack took place in Indonesian waters, but the navies regularly hold joint patrols.

AREDALO: We are conducting our joint maritime border patrols with the navies of Malaysia and Indonesia. We conduct regular 'border crossing combined training'. We also have joint exercises with the United States navy. And these are all part and parcel of a united effort in this particular area of the region to prevent transnational crimes and that is one of the things we are focussing on and strengthening by virtue of the bilateral relations that we have with our neighbouring navies.

SNOWDON: South East Asia once accounted for more than half of all attacks until [it was] surpassed by Somali pirates.

In the first six months of this year there has been an 18 per cent fall in piracy incidents at sea.

All the more reason to be concerned about the rise in South East Asia, says Captain Pottengal Mukundan.

MUKUNDAN: For the duration of the attack, the vessel might not be able to navigate safely. So, when you have, as in this case, a 32,000 tonne tanker not being able to navigate, it is a matter of great concern. Right now, we have this hot spot and we need to have these gangs dealt with and punished under law.