Robert Karniol JDW Correspondent
Bangkok
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are set to expand their co-ordinated naval patrols in the Strait of Malacca with the introduction of air assets following an agreement announced in Kuala Lumpur on August 2. However, exact details of the plan have not been released.
The initiative is aimed to bolster security in the vital sealane.
The plan to introduce maritime patrol aircraft was announced following a two-day meeting between chiefs of defence from the three countries, which also included their Thai counterpart.
The Royal Thai Navy has been invited to participate in the co-ordinated patrols but has yet to accept.
"We want to show the international community that we are serious about securing the Malacca Strait," Indonesia's Military Chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, told reporters following the talks.
The sealane initiative was first proposed publicly by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak during a June defence conference held in Singapore and follows earlier statements by Japanese Defence Minister Yoshinori Ohno urging increased co-ordination between the three countries to better control piracy.
In his formal remarks to conference participants, Dato' Seri Najib said: "We should call upon the wider international community, and in particular those who benefit most from safe passage through the straits, to step forward and make concrete contributions to support ongoing efforts by the littoral straits." This could include the provision of maritime patrol aircraft, he added in response to a question from the floor.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore launched co-ordinated naval patrols in the Strait of Malacca in mid-2004 to better deter piracy and terrorism.
The patrols are not conducted jointly and are, therefore, viewed by analysts as largely symbolic of the common interests involved. Perhaps more tangibly, Indonesia and Singapore have jointly established a tracking centre on the Indonesian island of Batam to monitor, using radar and satellite technology, vessels approaching the Singapore Strait.
