32 The assets available to the various agencies are not sufficient to meet ail law enforcement requirements of the Malaysian maritime area. Having no command or control function and with no assets of its own, MECC depends on decisions made at various committees for the implementation of the law enforcement requirements.
33 From time to time MECC's co-operation is sought for other incidents at sea such as search and rescue (SAR) and oil pollution.
Regional co-operation
34 Co-ordinated maritime patrol operations are carried out by Malaysia and Indonesia in the Malacca Strait. Such operations are seen as an avenue whereby the law enforcement agencies of both countries are able to operate together and to become familiar with each others procedures in order to enhance the effectiveness of maritime enforcement in the Strait of Malacca.
35 The Malaysia-Philippines co-ordinated border patrol operates on the East coast of Sabah. That area is known for its illegal activities such as piracy, armed robbery, movement of illegal immigrants and illegal fishing. With the ongoing co-operation those illegal activities are now considered to be under control.
36 Agreement have also been reached with Singapore and Thailand on co-operation in combatting acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships.
Problem areas identified
37 The general problem areas relate to the current economic situation and the resource constraints on law enforcement agencies.
38 The main problem areas identified relate to the fact that not all incidents are reported immediately to the Malaysian authorities; communications between the various agencies involved; the response time after an incident has been reported; and prosecution of pirates and armed robbers when caught.
39 A specific problem area is the reporting of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships. Reporting fails in a number of phases: the alerting by a ship under attack or threat of attack (the “shout for help”); the alerting of other ships in the area to the incident; reporting by the ship-either directly or through its company or agent-to the coastal State concerned, and to the flag State, after the incident; and reporting by the flag State or other entity to IMO. In this respect, it was stated repeatedly by representatives of the Government agencies concerned that it was not possible for them to act in a timely and effective manner if attacks or threats of attack were not reported immediately by the ship to the nearest coastal State.
40 Although regional co-operation has been established on a bilateral basis it does not seem to cover all aspects related to the prevention and suppression of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, for example with regard to reporting, investigation, training and exercises.
INDONESIA
The current state
41 Acts of piracy are seen as criminal in nature, they occur mainly when ships decrease speed and are directed primarily at tankers and bulkers. The pirates seem to look for easily removable items.
