Published: Sunday November 29, 2009 MYT 3:13:00 PM
Maritime conference to find ways to fight pirates in South China Sea
By EMBUN MAJID
LANGKAWI: Malaysia urged countries attending the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2009 International Maritime Conference to think of ways to curb the unconventional petty theft occuring in the South China Sea.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that this problem, uncurbed, would lead to high-tech piracy activities similar to the piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
The maritime boundary situation in the Southeast Asia is complex because four Asian countries (Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippine and Brunei) and China were claiming all part of the Spartly’s.
“This situation causes problem to the maritime patrol and enforcement activities because the pirates know that no country could impose its law in the water,” he said when met after addressing the LIMA 2009 Maritime International Conference at Awana Porto Malai here Sunday.
The two-day conference was attended by a total of 150 participants from 24 countries.
He said since January this year, two cases of petty theft occurred in South China Sea involving fishing boats.
Dr Ahmad Zahid said the five countries should not be too focused on their claims on the Spartly’s and forget their enforcement activities to curb piracy in the water.
He said that the Somali pirates were moving 1,000 nautical miles away from their point of action due to calmer water conditions and the authorities in the Gulf of Aden were having problems tracking them.
“Malaysia is taking heed of this news and we are increasing our patrol in the South Asia Sea because we do not want the pirates to disrupt our maritime activities here," he said.
At the same time, Malaysia would like the four neighbouring countries bordering the South China Sea to collaborate in conducting enforcement activities in the water.
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