ID :
20145
Fri, 09/19/2008 - 10:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/20145
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIA NOT INVOLVED IN OPERATION AGAINST SOMALI PIRATES
BANGKOK, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian navy personnel were not physically involved in the operation by the French army to free their two nationals held by Somali pirates on Monday, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal said here Thursday.
"Yes they informed us about the operation but we were not involved," Abdul
Aziz said when asked to comment about a statement by French President Nicolas
Sarkozy who thanked Germany and Malaysia for their help with the
operation.
Abdul Aziz said Malaysian vessels were despatched to the Gulf of Aden,
located between Yemen and Somalia, to protect Malaysian International Shipping
Corporation Bhd (MISC) ships sailing in those waters.
Earlier, Abdul Aziz and his counterparts General Boonsrang Niumpradit
(Thailand), General Djoko Santoso (Indonesia) and Lt. Gen. Desmond Kuek
(Singapore) signed an agreement to include Thailand in the Joint Patrol of
the Straits of Melaka.
According to reports, two French nationals held hostage by Somali pirates
for two weeks were freed by the French army in an operation in which one
pirate was killed and six others captured.
Malaysia has sent two warships, the KD Lekiu and KD Inderapura, and
offshore patrol vessel, KD Pahang to protect MISC ships following the hijacking
of MISC's MT Bunga Melati Dua with a crew of 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipinos on
Aug 19, and the MT Bunga Melati 5 with 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos on
board 10 days later.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the waters of
Somalia, that serve as connecting passage for shipping between the Indian Ocean
and the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden, is the most dangerous and risky waters for
international shipping, with 26 vessels being hijacked in the past 12
months.
On the inclusion of Thailand in the patrol programme for the Straits of
Melaka, Abdul Aziz said it would further strengthen cooperation and coordinated
patrols in the world's busiest sea route, where more than 50,000 cargo ships
pass through every year and is a likely target for pirates.
"They (Thais) will provide more cover over the northern part of the straits
and towards the Andaman Sea," he added.
He said it was encouraging that with the joint patrols, the number of
piracy cases had been reduced significantly, citing the single sea robbery that
took place so far this year.
The Straits of Melaka, which is a critical and strategic waterway in the
global trading system, carries more than one fourth of the world's commerce and
half the world's oil.
Following the coordinated air and sea patrols, the overall security
situation in the straits improved with the number of piracy incidents declining
in the last few years from a high of 38 in 2004 to 11 in 2006 and seven last
year.
-- BERNAMA
"Yes they informed us about the operation but we were not involved," Abdul
Aziz said when asked to comment about a statement by French President Nicolas
Sarkozy who thanked Germany and Malaysia for their help with the
operation.
Abdul Aziz said Malaysian vessels were despatched to the Gulf of Aden,
located between Yemen and Somalia, to protect Malaysian International Shipping
Corporation Bhd (MISC) ships sailing in those waters.
Earlier, Abdul Aziz and his counterparts General Boonsrang Niumpradit
(Thailand), General Djoko Santoso (Indonesia) and Lt. Gen. Desmond Kuek
(Singapore) signed an agreement to include Thailand in the Joint Patrol of
the Straits of Melaka.
According to reports, two French nationals held hostage by Somali pirates
for two weeks were freed by the French army in an operation in which one
pirate was killed and six others captured.
Malaysia has sent two warships, the KD Lekiu and KD Inderapura, and
offshore patrol vessel, KD Pahang to protect MISC ships following the hijacking
of MISC's MT Bunga Melati Dua with a crew of 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipinos on
Aug 19, and the MT Bunga Melati 5 with 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos on
board 10 days later.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the waters of
Somalia, that serve as connecting passage for shipping between the Indian Ocean
and the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden, is the most dangerous and risky waters for
international shipping, with 26 vessels being hijacked in the past 12
months.
On the inclusion of Thailand in the patrol programme for the Straits of
Melaka, Abdul Aziz said it would further strengthen cooperation and coordinated
patrols in the world's busiest sea route, where more than 50,000 cargo ships
pass through every year and is a likely target for pirates.
"They (Thais) will provide more cover over the northern part of the straits
and towards the Andaman Sea," he added.
He said it was encouraging that with the joint patrols, the number of
piracy cases had been reduced significantly, citing the single sea robbery that
took place so far this year.
The Straits of Melaka, which is a critical and strategic waterway in the
global trading system, carries more than one fourth of the world's commerce and
half the world's oil.
Following the coordinated air and sea patrols, the overall security
situation in the straits improved with the number of piracy incidents declining
in the last few years from a high of 38 in 2004 to 11 in 2006 and seven last
year.
-- BERNAMA
