Malacca Strait Still Safe from Pirates
Tuesday, 09 March, 2010 | 21:18 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters has said that the situation in the Malacca Strait right now is still safe from piracy.

The confirmation was conveyed following a warning from the Singaporean Navy on threats of piracy in the Malacca Strait last week.

“Up until now there have been no arrests in the Malacca Strait, the condition is still safe,” said TNI spokesman, Rear Marshall Sagom Tamboen, when contacted by Tempo, Tuesday (9/3).

According to him, the patrols have not found any suspicious vessels.

Patrols in the Malacca Strait, Sagom continued, were a routine activity of the Indonesian Navy.

The Malacca Straits Sea Patrols (MSSP), a joint operation between the Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean and Thai navies, have been carried out for a long time now.

“But, since we got a warning from the Singaporean Navy, the patrols have been intensified,” he said.

The Indonesian Navy had an early warning on piracy threat in the Malacca Strait from the Singaporean Navy on March 1.

According to First Admiral Marsetio, the warning indicates that there is piracy threatening boats in the Malacca Strait.

CORNILA DESYANA