ABSTRACT
Piracy has been an almost constant feature of the maritime domain in Southeast Asia since the fifth century. According to one historian, these early piratical activities formed part of a complex social web which encompassed elements of political and economic competition, and social status.1 Today, acts of piracy continue to occur in the region and over the last ten years have been increasing in frequency. Although there are now signs of a decrease in the number of incidents, the attacks themselves have taken on worrying new characteristics and it is possible to observe a number of disturbing changes in attack trends.
