MARITIME MALAYSIA SHOWS ITS CAPABILITIES

By Jamaluddin Mohamad

PORT KLANG (Malaysia), Oct 16 (Bernama) -- Scene 1: Three pirates hijacked a fishing boat, 10 nautical miles off Klang Port.

Within minutes, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (Maritime
Malaysia) elite crack team known as Star team, boarded the fast assault craft,
Rubber Hull Inflatable Boat, to rescue the fisherman and the boat.

Two Maritime Malaysia helicopters, Eurocopter Dauphin AS365 N3, were also
despatched to the scene.

Scene 2: The fisherman was saved, the boat was recovered and the three
pirates were captured.

Both scenes were part of the Maritime Malaysia demonstration on its
capabilities in countering piracy/terrorist, smuggling, illegal immigrants as
well as search and rescue operation.

PIRACY IN MALAYSIAN WATERS

Maritime Malaysia Director-General Admiral Mohd Amdan Kurish said the
scene of ships being hijacked by heavily-armed and well organised pirates in the
Gulf of Aden two months ago was unlikely to occur in Malaysian waters.

"Apart from Maritime Malaysia, the country has a strong and credible armed
forces which could react quickly to such situations.

"It is very unlikely for such big pirate organisations to establish their
footing here. We may have some isolated piracy cases, to be specific
those involving petty theft only but not to the extent like the case occurred in
Somalia because Somalia is a lawless country," he told reporters on board the KM
Langkawi after witnessing the demonstrations recently.

He said Maritime Malaysia would ensure that whatever occurred in the Gulf
of Aden would not take place in Malaysian waters.

Furthermore, the littoral states of Straits of Melaka such as Indonesia and
Thailand also possessed strong and credible armed forces, thus making big piracy
organisations think twice before operating in this region.

Two Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC Berhad) tankers,
Bunga Melati 2 and Bunga Melati Lima and their crews were released last month
upon payment of ransom.

"It is very difficult to hijack a ship for ransom in Malaysian waters,"
Admiral Mohd Amdan said.

NEW SQUADRON

He also said Maritime Malaysia was beefing up its capability with plan to
set up fixed-wing and helicopter squadrons.

It hoped to form several squadrons with each squadron consisting of six
fixed-wing aircraft or six light and medium-sized helicopters.

For a start, the enforcement agency would receive one amphibious aircraft
next month and another one later with the two aircraft costing about RM240
million.

Maritime Malaysia had also set its priority right by acquiring 20
interceptor boats with 60 knots speed soon instead of the original plan for two
offshore patrol vessels in safeguarding the country's shoreline.

Set up in Febuary 2005 under the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Act, Maritime Malaysia was tasked to safeguard the peace, safety and sovereignty
of the country's maritime zone.

Maritime Malaysia had identified areas to set up their five bases
throughout the country as at the moment they share or lease bases from other
agencies.

A plot of land adjacent to the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang has
also been identified for its permanent air wing squadron, said Admiral Mohd
Amdan.

On the illegal immigrant issue, he described locals who harbour illegal
immigrant as traitor for willing to sell the country's sovereignty for a few
hundred ringgit.

"We have detected various kinds of their modus operandi in smuggling in
illegal immigrants. For example, they transfer illegal immigrants from a big
ship to several fishermens' boats in the middle of the sea at night," he
said.

He called on the locals to help the agency in combating the illegal
immigrant problem by providing information.

Port Klang is the one of the main ports of Malaysia, located in the
district of Klang in the southern state of Selangor.