Malaysia's top police official yesterday warned of a "real and possible" threat of terrorism in the Malacca Straits, one of the world's most vital trade-related waterways.
Inspector-General of the Royal Malaysian Police Musa Hassan said maritime security concerns included piracy and extortion of fishermen in the straits.
But touching on a topic rarely discussed by Malaysian officials, Musa said terrorist attacks on the crucial trade route would cripple economies globally, and he called for continued vigilance.
"Another threat which is real and possible that is lurking in the strait is maritime terrorism," Musa told a conference of maritime industry experts discussing security threats.
MARITIME TERRORISM
Forms of maritime terrorism of "particular concern" included attacks on ships, the hijacking of ships carrying dangerous materials and the use of vessels to attack ports or land facilities, Musa said.
"If terrorists were to command a ship transporting LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] for a suicide mission in the strait, such an act would devastate Southeast Asia's economic environment and severely disrupt trade," he said in his keynote address.
More than 30 percent of world trade passes through the Malacca Straits, and the volume of traffic has increased dramatically, up 42 percent from 44,000 ships in 1999 to 62,600 ships in 2005.
OIL
Half of the world's oil shipments also travel through the waterway, where piracy attacks have prompted concerns among East Asian nations who rely on fuel shipments.
"A significant impediment to the flow of oil would be a direct threat to the national security of countries that are highly dependent, particularly Japan and South Korea," Musa said.
"It would mean re-routing the vessels, which would lead to skyrocketing freight and insurance rates and ... a devastating global economic impact," he said.
Maintaining and securing the waterway has always been regarded as the responsibility of the littoral states who border the sea lane -- Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
STANDBY
Separately, Pottengal Mukundan, the London-based director of the International Maritime Bureau, which organized the conference, said that governments needed to stay on standby for any terror attacks.
"There is always the possibility of a terror attack. We need to be prepared for it," Mukundan said.
He also said the war against pirates was not over in the straits despite a fall in attacks in recent years after Indonesia boosted maritime patrols.
"There is no room for complacency. The moment the pirates sense law enforcement will not respond promptly, the attacks will resume," he told the conference.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
RSS