More Malacca Pirate Arrests

According to The Jakarta Post - Batam Police arrest pirates:

Riau Islands' air and water police apprehended seven out of 12 pirates who had taken over boats for eight hours in Berakit waters in Riau Islands regency, an official said on Tuesday.

Water police unit commander, Sr. Comr. Imam B. Sumpeno, told The Jakarta Post that the boats, Bahar XXVII and Bahar 11 belonging to PT Habco Primatama in Pekanbaru, were taken by force by 12 pirates operating in the Malacca Strait on Sunday at 1 a.m.

The boats had just been made by PT Bandar Victory Shipyard in Sekupang Batam.

"We got the report at 9 a.m. (on Sunday). As soon as we obtained the boats' route from the owners, we searched for the pirates. These waters (near Riau Islands) are prone to piracy," Imam said.

The seven arrested pirates were Doni, 39; Anton, 29; Hermansyah, 35; Maksimus N., 28; Frans B., 54; Samsudin, 51; and Daymond, 28. The remaining pirates managed to escape.

The two boats, worth Rp 30 billion (US$3.1 million), were scheduled to travel from Sekupang in Batam to South Kalimantan.

The pirates managed to change the name of Bahar 11 to Ayu.

"The pirates are part of an international ship piracy syndicate," said Imam, adding that the boats would have been taken to Thailand...

Commander of Bahar 11 ship, Dwi Darmanto, said the pirates moved to his ship from a small motorized boat in Berakit waters, and threatened the crew with sharp weapons.

"One of the pirates who was using a homemade firearm, demanded that I surrender the ship's documents. After that they dumped us on Karas island. Fortunately, my cell phone still worked there so we could contact the company and called the police," Dwi said.

Memo to pirates: Make sure to get all the cell phones.