ABSTRACT
JN Mak Introduction Piracy is reputed to be a serious problem in the Malacca Straits, which at 550 nautical miles, is the longest strait in the world. It is also a congested waterway, with between 500 and 600 vessels using the Straits daily.1 Of the three states, Malaysia and Singapore are the most vulnerable to incidents in the Straits. This is because the Malacca Straits runs parallel to the industrial heartland of Malaysia, serving the so-called ‘Western Corridor’ of Malaysia. Every major Malaysian port is located along the Straits, which provides a critical transport link for highly tradedependent Malaysia.2 Singapore’s small size, restricted sea space and its dependence on its port, maritime trade and sea lines of communication for survival makes its extremely vulnerable to maritime incidents in the Straits of Malacca. As such, major accidents and crime at sea, especially piracy, would in theory adversely affect the interests of Malaysia and Singapore. One would therefore expect that Malaysia and Singapore, and to a lesser degree Indonesia, would take vigorous measures to eliminate piracy. This is, however, not the case with Malaysia for reasons that we will see later.
