"The problem is when you get into particularly the Indonesian controlled section of both the Singapore Strait and the Malacca Strait," Richardson said.
The International Maritime Bureau recorded 37 attacks last year on vessels in the Malacca Strait, second only to Indonesia, which has the world's most pirate-infested coast line. Most Malacca Strait attacks occur in Malaysian or Indonesian waters.
A hijacking by gun-wielding pirates of a shipload of tin worth US$4.6 million in Indonesian waters last month highlighted the lawlessness that analysts say terrorists could exploit. The ship was ransacked while en route to Singapore.
Security analysts say the attacks highlight the need for tougher -- possibly international -- intervention. But Malaysia and Indonesia have cited concerns in the past over sovereignty, pointing out that the waters -- just a few nautical miles wide in places -- are mostly national, not international.
Fears among some states that the US was seeking a policing role were a factor behind the launch last year of coordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
A private company, Background Asia Risk Solutions, has provided armed escort services in the region for a year, but Malaysia and Indonesia are staunchly opposed to armed mercenaries in their waters.
"If we leave security patrols to civilians, this might result in a reaction or incidents that are hard to control," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted by the official Bernama news agency as saying late last week.
Few are as alarmed as Singapore, which relies heavily on sea trade for its US$110 billion economy and has warned repeatedly of possible links of piracy and terrorism after uncovering a plot in 2001 by Jemaah Islamiah militants to attack US naval ships in its waters.
"All it takes is one incident and the confidence of all the nations who use the ports in the region will be shaken, not to mention the economic impact," said Lee, a 25-year navy veteran who oversees the ASSeT operation.
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