24 Jun 1999
The Singapore Shipping Times
                

 Indonesia asked to act on piracy
 by IMO members

 Jakarta taking steps to curb attacks in Straits of Malacca: Indon
 official

 By Marcus Hand

 [SINGAPORE]

       Indonesia has been asked by member countries of the International
       Maritime Organisation (IMO) to take action against piracy attacks
 in the Straits of Malacca.

 The Harian Ekonomi Neraca daily quoted Indonesian director-general of
 sea transport, Agus Rudiyanto, as saying countries in the IMO had asked
 Indonesia to take measures to curb pirate attacks in the straits, between
 the island of Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia.

 According to Mr Rudiyanto, some foreign ships are wary of using the
 Straits of Malacca due to the increasing number of piracy attacks in one of
 the world's busiest waterways.

 Although he said that some foreign ships were avoiding the Straits of
 Malacca, he gave no details of alternative routes being used by ships.

 Indonesia is a hotbed for piracy and many of the piracy attacks in
 South-east Asian waters are reported to be carried out by Indonesian
 pirates. In the first quarter of this year, 38 out of 66 actual and attempted
 pirate attacks took place in South-east Asian waters.

 "We have arrested some pirates. They told us they are part of a syndicate.
 Some of the pirates are Indonesians but their leaders are foreigners," said
 Mr Rudiyanto.

 In December last year, Indonesian authorities in Batam were reported to
 have arrested the mastermind of a syndicate involved in some 21 piracy
 incidents between November 1996 and the end of 1998. The man
 arrested had been using the stolen passport of a Singaporean odd-job
 labourer. His real identity and nationality remain unclear.

 In two other hijacking cases last year, the suspected pirates detained in
 China were Indonesian nationals.

 The 16 suspects detained in China for the hijacking of the Japanese-owned
 cargo ship Tenyu in the Straits of Malacca last September were all
 Indonesian nationals. In the case of the Malaysian-owned tanker Petro
 Ranger hijacked last May, all 12 suspected pirates found on board were
 Indonesian nationals.

 Mr Rudiyanto said that the Indonesian government had asked the
 Indonesian navy to help curb the attacks.

 Last week, Firdaus Wadjdi, chairman of the Federation of Asean
 Shipowners Association (Fasa), issued a strong call for immediate action
 from Asean member governments to combat piracy in the region.

 "These attacks have been allowed to carry on for far too long and
 shipowners cannot tolerate this any longer. After having caught these
 pirates, the authorities must prosecute them severely and put them behind
 bars," he said.

 Dr Wadjdi is also the chairman of the Indonesian National Shipowners
 Association (INSA).

 The issue of piracy is expected to be high on the agenda at Fasa's 22nd
 executive committee meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on July 5.