1) INDONESIA
-Indonesia’s national waters are the largest in Southeast Asia, consisting of three million square km
of archipelagic and territorial waters and a further three million square km of EEZ and continental
shelf. Indonesia also controls important sea-lanes between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, including
some parts of the Malacca Straits. Indonesia has benefited economically from its large maritime
zones, however, it also faces serious problems in maintaining law and order at sea.
There are at least ten different agencies responsible for maritime security management, with nine of
them having the right to enforce law of the sea. These agencies include the Ministry of Marine
Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF), the Ministry of Forestry (MOF), the State Ministry for Environment
(SME), the Ministry of Communication and Transportation (MOCT), the Directorate General of
Immigration (DGI), the Directorate General of Customs (DGC), the Indonesian Navy, and the
Indonesian Police (Marine Police).
Maritime law enforcement is divided among these agencies. The MOMAF, MOF, and SME are
responsible for coastal environmental protection and the enforcement of environmental law. The
Indonesian Marine Police also have limited authority, and are responsible only for surveillance and
enforcement activities in inshore areas, in particular, for the enforcement of maritime law, drug
prohibition, immigration and other similar civil responsibilities. Most law enforcement at sea is still
primarily the responsibility of the Indonesian Navy.
The different roles of these agencies have not been adequately defined, making the coordination of
their activities even more difficult. In 2005, Baden Koordinasi Keamanan Laut (Bakorkamla), the
Coordination Agency for Security at Sea was established by Presidential Regulation No. 81/2005.
Despite this, there is a serious lack of coordination among the various agencies involved, and they
still carry out their own tasks based on their specific sectorial mandates without much interaction.
Besides the coordination problem, there is another important issue regarding Indonesia’s ability to
enforce law at sea. The Indonesian navy has only limited resources available to secure Indonesian
waters and ports, with the Indonesian fleet consisting of around 115 boats of different sizes, of
which only about 25 are operational at any given time. The Indonesian marine police face similar
problems, with an insufficient number of operational vessels available. Comparatively low military
and police budgets, particularly in the years following the Asian crisis, are largely responsible for the
lack of resources available. In fact, government officials have claimed in the past that only 25-30
percent of the military’s expenditure was covered by the military budget, while in 2005 only an
estimated 50 percent of military costs were covered by the state budget. Indonesia has tried to
improve the situation by increasing its defence budget to US$8 billion in 2013, about 6.6 percent
higher than in 2012.Nevertheless, the increase is still relatively low compared to its neighbours.
There have, however, been a number of measures implemented by the Indonesian Navy to combat
piracy, such as modernizing the Navy’s ships and increasing their numbers in order to allow more
patrols against illegal activities. It has also deployed piracy and armed robbery special forces in two
Navy control command centers (puskodal) in Batam and Belawan. The shipping community has been
advised to contact the two control command centres whenever they encounter piracy incidents in
Indonesian waters.
In 1992, Indonesia launched an operation called ‘Operasi Kikis Bajak’ (Operation Pirate Erosion)
which was concentrated in the Riau Archipelago.During this operation, naval patrols were increased
significantly and intelligence operations were conducted intensively in order to arrest pirates based
in the area.The operation was successful in arresting and prosecuting dozen of pirates directly or
indirectly involved in pirate attacks, many of whom were sentenced to up to several years
imprisonment.Operation ‘Kikis Bajak’ showed that, with strong political will on the part of the
central government, Indonesia was capable of more effectively combating piracy in the Straits.
However, the operation was not continued, and the number of piracy incidents grew in the
following years, especially during the financial crisis that began in 1998.The Indonesian Ministry of
Home Affairs has also used empowerment programs, to increase welfare and alleviate poverty in
remote areas prone to piracy, such as Rokan, Hilir, Bengkalis, Siak, Palawan, Indragiri Ilir, and
Karimun, the regencies that border the Malacca and Singapore Straits. The next priority will be
conducting similar programs in the regencies bordering the other sea lanes of communication
(SLOCs) throughout Indonesia.
2) MALAYSIA
- Malaysia has also taken steps to combat piracy in the Malacca Straits. The Royal Malaysian Navy
has built a series of radar-tracking stations along the Malacca Straits to monitor traffic and has
acquired new patrol boats. In 2000, with a commitment to increase its naval enforcement power, a
special anti-piracy task force was established by the Royal Malaysian Marine Police. This unit was
equipped with 20 fast-strike craft and four rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) at a cost of RM 15 million
(US$ 4.12 million).In addition, 60 marine police officers have been trained to form the marine police
tactical commando unit, and they have been stationed along the Malacca Straits. In March 2005,
after two attacks against tugs, the Malaysian Police deployed assault weapons on tugs and barges
sailing the Malacca Straits, while still maintaining training activities and patrols, particularly in the
northern parts of the Straits.
A recent critical measure taken by the Malaysian government was the formation of Malaysian Coast
Guard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), established in November 2005.
MMEA was formed as a result of a study undertaken by the Malaysian government in April 1999
which revealed that enforcement at sea was not effective because too many agencies were
involved, resulting in overlapping functions and jurisdiction. The MMEA now brings together a
number of existing maritime enforcement agencies, such as the Royal Malaysian Marine Police, the
Fisheries Department, Immigration Department, Customs Department, and Marine Department.
Under the MMEA Act, MMEA is the primary agency responsible for search and rescue at sea, and
has been assigned to perform enforcement functions under all federal laws for ensuring the safetyand security of the Malaysian waters. This unification is expected to improve Malaysia’s ability to
deal with maritime-related offenses, including piracy and maritime terrorism.
Since its formation, MMEA has taken steps to establish bilateral as well as multilateral relationships
with several countries in the Asia Pacific region. MMEA now has a close working relationship with a
number of law enforcement agencies from other countries, including the Singapore Police
Coastguard, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, the Japan Coastguard and the US Coastguard,
as well as the Information Sharing Centre (ISC) ReCAAP in Singapore.
3) SINGAPORE
- From 2001 to 2006, Singapore spent almost 5 per cent of its GDP on national defence. In 2000, out
of its US$ 142.9 billion, Singapore budgeted US$ 7 billion for its defence. The Singapore Armed
Forces are the most technologically advanced military in the region, and have signals intelligence
capabilities superior to its neighbours. Singapore also has built the most advanced defence
industries, producing a full range of armaments and weapons systems.
Among the littoral states of the Malacca Straits, Singapore was the first to improve its naval
capability due to its economic advantages. Improvements include establishing an integrated
surveillance and information network for tracking and investigating suspicious movement,
increasing navy and coast guard patrols, protecting high-value merchant ships sailing through the
Singapore Straits and adjacent waters, and the recent update of shipping routes to avoid collisions
between small craft and high-risk merchant ships.
Singapore has also signed the 1988 SUA Convention. This convention extends the rights of maritime
forces to pursue terrorists, pirates, and maritime criminals into foreign territorial waters. It also
provides guidelines for the extradition and prosecution of maritime criminals. Unfortunately, since
Singapore is the only littoral state that has become a signatory to the Convention, pirates are still
able to escape into the adjacent waters of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Following the 9/11 attack, Singapore heightened its port security by protecting sensitive
installations, such as the major oil and chemical terminal and cruise and ferry terminals. The
Singaporean Maritime Port Authority also closely watches the movement of sensitive vessels, such
as liquified petroleum gas (LPG), liquified natural gas (LNG), chemical tankers, passenger ships, and
oil tankers. Security at sea entry checkpoints has also been tightened to prevent entry of dangerous
weapons and persons.
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