1 2 » Southeast Asia Winning Malacca Straits Battle For Now, Says Watchdog Last Updated: Nov 20 2008 8:25AM Southeast Asia is winning the battle against piracy in the Malacca Straits but any reduction in vigilance could see a sudden return of high-seas banditry in the vital trade lane, a watchdog said Thursday. The strategic shipping route between Indonesia's Sumatra island and the Southeast Asian peninsula of Malaysia and Singapore was deemed the most dangerous waterway in the world by Lloyds of London only three years ago. But attacks are dramatically down thanks to better cooperation among the littoral states which surround the narrow waterway, and experts believe a major hijacking like the incident off Somalia this week is now unlikely here.   India Praised For Sinking Pirates Last Updated: Nov 20 2008 8:12AM An anti-piracy watchdog has welcomed the destruction of a suspected Somali pirate vessel in the Gulf of Aden by an Indian navy warship. INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it did not stop for investigation and instead opened fire, an Indian navy statement said on Wednesday. There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia. The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates. The supertanker is now anchored off the Somali coast. 'Heartened.' "If all warships do this, it will be a strong deterrent. But if it's just a rare case, then it won't work," Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, told Associated Press. Mr. Choong said he was heartened by the Tabar's success. "It's about time that such a forceful action is taken. It's an action that everybody is waiting for," he said.   Japan To Study Anti-Piracy Mission Near Somalia Last Updated: Nov 19 2008 8:57AM Japan is considering sending a naval mission to guard its cargo ships in waters off Somalia, where a number of vessels have been seized by pirates, lobby groups said Wednesday. Prime Minister Taro Aso late Tuesday met representatives of the Japan Foundation and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation, which proposed that the country dispatch a naval mission to the area to guard Japanese ships. "Prime Minister Aso said the government should start studying measures soon," a Japan Foundation spokesman said. "He said it would be too late after Japanese ships and crew members get attacked.   India 'Sinks Somali Pirate Ship' Last Updated: Nov 19 2008 8:48AM An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden. INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said. There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia. The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored off the Somali coast. Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe. The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m). Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that is expected to be a sizeable demand. Two of the captive crew are British.   Malaysia's DPM Says Straits Of Malacca Is Significantly Safer Last Updated: Oct 22 2008 8:46AM Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak says the Straits of Malacca is significantly safer. He revealed that there has not been a single reported security related incident so far in 2008, compared to 75 cases in 2000. He was speaking at the opening of a Centre for the Straits of Malacca set up by the Maritime Institute of Malaysia. Traffic along the Straits of Malacca has increased by nearly 40 per cent from some 44,000 vessels in 1999 to 70,700 in 2007. Mr Najib Razak believes that by 2015, the figure will go up to 120,000 vessels. He says that over the past few years, Malaysia has spent millions of dollars to install and upgrade navigational aids along the Straits of Malacca. Mr Najib added that for a small country, the money spent is well worth it, especially when it involves enhancing the safety and security of an important sea line of communications. One reason for the increased security, says Mr Najib, is cooperation between the littoral states of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and the international maritime organisation.   India Deploys Warship To Africa To Thwart Pirates Last Updated: Oct 17 2008 8:13AM NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will deploy a warship in the Gulf of Aden to guard its merchant ships from Somali pirates, but ship owners said on Friday that it was not enough to instill confidence among sailors. The warship with marine commandos and helicopters on board will escort Indian ships passing through the region, considered one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water for piracy, a navy spokesman said on Friday. "The ship has set sail for Africa and will start its anti-piracy patrolling near Somalia soon," the navy officer said. A Japanese-owned merchant vessel carrying a 22-member crew, including 18 Indians, was hijacked by Somali pirates last month in the Gulf of Aden.   Australia Boosts Bio-Security Defenses Last Updated: Sep 16 2008 7:31AM Australia has opened a new National Center for Bio-Security to build its defenses against infectious diseases and biological weapons. Medical experts say it will help protect the country from threats such as SARS and bird flu as well as attacks by terrorists or rogue scientists. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. The new bio-security center adds another layer to Australia's counterterrorism defenses. Its researchers will look at ways to combat biological warfare, naturally occurring diseases and the theft or misuse of sensitive research on micro-organisms. In addition, they will study the dangers posed by synthetic biology, where a virus or bacteria can be created from scratch. The center's work will concentrate on 22 bacteria, viruses and poisons that the Australian government considers "agents of concern".   Somali Pirates 'Seize Filipinos' Last Updated: Jul 23 2008 7:56AM A ship with 20 Philippine sailors has reportedly been hijacked off the coast of Somalia. A spokesman for the Philippine foreign ministry told reporters that the Japanese-owned Stella Maris was seized by pirates on Sunday. He said officials had been in contact with the sailors, who were in a good state of health. But he added that it was against the Philippine government's policy to pay a ransom to the kidnappers. The Stella Maris, which was carrying a cargo of lead and zinc, was boarded by 38 armed men in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.   Heavily-Armed Pirates Attack Thai, South Korea Ships Last Updated: Apr 30 2008 8:08AM Heavily-armed pirates attacked a Thai oil tanker carrying jet fuel in Malaysian waters and a South Korean vessel in the pirate infested Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog said on Tuesday. Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, told AFP that in the April 25 incident, eight armed pirates on a powerful speedboat boarded the Thai tanker. Maritime officials identified the tanker as "Pataravarin 2". Choong said the pirates attacked the ship's master and stole seafarers money before escaping in the dark. The ship was heading into the Singapore Strait on the way to Phuket in southern Thailand, he said. Choong said this was the second pirate attack since January this year in Malaysian waters.   Drop In Piracy Cases In Indonesia Last Updated: Apr 16 2008 7:55AM The International Maritime Bureau says there has been a sustained drop in the number of piracy cases in Indonesia. Only four incidents have been reported so far this year. There were nine a year ago and 19 in 2006. It says the Indonesian navy and the police should be commended for the anti-piracy measures taken. The bureau says the Malacca Strait posted no cases in the first quarter.   Cyclone Sidr Strikes Bangladesh (Update 2) Last Updated: Nov 20 2007 4:53PM Download here (.doc)   Key Nepal Polls May Be Delayed Last Updated: Oct 4 2007 7:45AM Key elections that are central to Nepal's peace process may have to be postponed due to wrangling between former rebel Maoists and mainstream parties, officials said Thursday. The elections, which have already been delayed once and are now slated for November 22, are for a body that will rewrite the constitution of the impoverished Himalayan nation and decide whether the monarchy should be kept. But Arjun Narsingh K.C., a senior leader from the Nepali Congress, the country's largest party, told AFP that there was "a high probability that the polls may not take place" next month.   Pirates Free Indonesian Sailors Last Updated: Aug 27 2007 7:53AM Pirates have freed two Indonesian sailors abducted earlier this month in the Malacca Strait after an undisclosed ransom was paid. The Maritime Bureau's reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur says they are being interviewed by Indonesian authorities. The pair men were sailing from Malaysia when they were kidnapped by heavily armed pirates who boarded their barge on August the 13th.   Action Urged Against Malacca Strait Pirates Last Updated: Aug 16 2007 8:09AM An international maritime watchdog has urged authorities to move swiftly to prevent another series of pirate attacks in the Malacca Strait following a kidnapping this week. On Monday, 10 heavily armed pirates boarded a barge carrying steel billets from Malaysia's northern Penang state and seized the ship's master and engineer.   Australia Reverses Nuke NPT To Sell To India Last Updated: Aug 15 2007 7:50AM The Australian government has ended a ban on uranium sales to India. Senior ministers late Tuesday night reversed a policy of selling the nuclear fuel only to signatories of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The foreign minister, Alexander Downer, has convinced cabinet security colleagues that a uranium deal with India was in Australia's interest.   Pirates Kidnap Crew From Malaysian Tug Last Updated: Aug 15 2007 7:39AM An international maritime watchdog is urging authorities to move swiftly to prevent another spate of pirate attacks in the Malacca Strait following a kidnapping this week. On Monday, 10 heavily armed pirates boarded a barge carrying steel billets from Malaysia's northern Penang state and seized the ship master and engineer. Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, says the gunmen left six other crew members unharmed, but destroyed the barge's communication system before fleeing. He says the attack is the third in the waterway this year, but the first time since July 2005 that crew members have been kidnapped.   Watchdog Accuses PNG Of Paying Cronies Last Updated: May 8 2007 7:10AM An anti-corruption group in Papua New Guinea has accused the government of paying political cronies to contest the national elections next month. Our reporter Firmin Nanol says the PNG government has approved a $US300,000 payment for two senior government employees who resigned last month to contest the election.   Official: Malacca Strait security better Last Updated: Apr 16 2007 10:20AM Countries lining the Malacca Strait have vastly improved security in the strategic shipping route over the last five years, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific said on Monday. Adm. Timothy Keating also said that sharing maritime security information among military officials, diplomats, and commercial shipping operators was an integral part of U.S. goals to boost regional stability. "It's of critical importance to us," Keating told a joint news conference with Gen. Abdul Aziz Zainal, the chief of Malaysian defense forces, to mark the start of a military legal issues conference co-sponsored by Malaysia and the U.S. Pacific Command. Keating, who became the head of the Pacific Command three weeks ago, arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the last leg of his Asia-Pacific tour that has also taken him to Tokyo, Seoul and Guam. Keating's endorsement of a safer Malacca Strait is welcome news for Southeast Asian countries, who have been fighting perceptions that the vital trade route is vulnerable not only to pirate attacks but also to Islamic terrorists.   Mr. Hu Goes To Moscow, Again Last Updated: Apr 8 2007 9:15AM Download here (.doc)   Burma Releases 9 Protestors In Rangoon Last Updated: Feb 27 2007 11:09AM Burma's military government has released nine people who'd been held for five days after holding a rare protest over living conditions in the capital, Rangoon. Around two dozen people took part in last Thursday's demonstration outside a bus station, waving placards and shouting slogans.   1 2 »