Four nations in anti-piracy talks in Phuket
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Rear Admiral Chaiyanun Nuntawit from Royal Thai Navy Intelligence.

PHUKET: -- Representatives of the Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean navies met today (April 21) to improve their joint campaign against piracy in the Malacca Strait and nearby waters.

After the closed-door meeting of the 27th Malacca Strait Patrol Joint Coordinating Committee at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, Rear Admiral Chaiyanun Nuntawit from Royal Thai Navy Intelligence said, “This is an international drive to improve security and confidence for users of the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s most important seaways.”

He said that there had already been success, with reports that some pirates have moved their activities east, away from the Malacca Strait and into the South China Sea.

“The fact that there are fewer cases of piracy shows the success of our joint action.”

He added that he believed ships should help one another, by reporting to the authorities if they see pirates attack another vessel.

He also urged ship owners to install panic buttons that would send out an alarm with the position of the ship under attack. The ocean is so large, so it sometimes means time and money are wasted getting to the scene. [if alarms can be sent] we can work efficiency.

He noted that not all the pirates have gone. “Some pirates planted a fake bomb after robbing a Thai ship near Koh Tarutao [north of the Strait], stealing 2,000 tonnes of bunker oil and 5,000 litres of diesel on February 16. This is a new tactic by the pirates.”

Asked whether the four navies would also be taking joint action against illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, he said, “IUU fishing is not currently [on the agenda]. We are focussing only on security in the Malacca Strait – something that is worth being serious about.”

The International Maritime Bureau recorded 409 pirate attacks in and around the Malacca Strait between 2009 and 2013. Of these, 288 took place in Indonesian waters.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/four-nations-in-anti-piracy-talks-in-phuket-51966.php


-- Phuket News 2015-04-21

More misspelling. It should read:

Four nations in anti-conspiracy talks in Phuket