Malaysia has yet to find any "credible link" between terrorists and pirates who have roamed the Malacca Strait in search of plunder, Malaysia's defense minister said Sunday at a conference on Asian security.
The minister, Najib Tun Razak, also said he opposes suggestions that foreign vessels be escorted by their naval or coast guard ships through the strait. He said the littoral states - Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - can handle patrols in the 900km (550-mile) waterway.
But he said Malaysia had extended an invitation to Thailand to enter these coordinated patrols "to enhance the security along the approaches to strait."
Piracy has plagued the Malacca Strait despite coordinated patrols and other efforts by the three nations to curb attacks on shipping. Some intelligence experts fear terrorists - in collaboration with pirates - could seize a ship in the economically vital and strategic sea lane, sail it into a harbor and stage a massive detonation.
"Our view is that we have yet to find a credible link between terrorists i.e. those who commit acts of aggression for a political motive, and modern day pirates whose primary aim is to derive commercial benefit from their acts," Razak said.
"For the time being, these pirates who operate on the high seas are no different from their land-based cousins who extort ransoms from travelers and hijack lorries with valuable cargo. This is not to argue that we should ignore these threats to peace," he said at a conference of defense ministers and military leaders in Singapore.
Razak said coordinated patrols since July 2004 had reduced pirate attacks by about 25 percent from previous years.
"Malaysia is steadfast in our belief that the littoral states are capable of patrolling the straits without external intervention," Razak said, adding that Kuala Lumpur was comfortable with the current arrangement to guard the waterway.
At the same session, Adm. William Fallon, the US Navy's Pacific fleet commander, reiterated his government's respect for national sovereignty but said they the Navy would be willing to offer assistance whenever possible if it is in Washington's best interests.
"Today's threat are not state actors and we need to come up with a response that suits the threat," said Fallon. "Pacific Command can facilitate maritime security efforts...we can, and we will offer capabilities and cooperation to address the difficult problems before us."
"It is in the best interests of my country to play an active role," Fallon said.
