Malaysia Says "Not a Good Idea" to Private Escort Ships in the Malacca Strait

As reported in Khaleej Times Online

Private armed escort services for ships using the pirate-infested Malacca Strait are not welcome, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Friday.

The security of seafarers and cargo in the vital shipping lane was the responsibility of the three littoral states -- Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, Abdullah said.

“If we entrust the monitoring of security to civilian parties, something may happen and it could spark off reactions that may be difficult to control,” he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

“Our opinion is that it is better for the monitoring to be done by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia,” the prime minister told Malaysian journalists accompanying him on an official visit to the Netherlands.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenande had raised the issue of security in the strait -- which carries a third of global trade -- during their talks, he said.

See my earlier post on this topic here.

Update: Modified title to read the way it was supposed to to begin with. Drat the gremlins...