ABSTRACT
This chapter explores contemporary piracy in Malaysia. It aims at the changing nature of piracy in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, before discussing developments from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. The chapter explains why piracy emerged as a security concern in Malaysia in this period, and considers the nature of attacks, the perpetrators and the Malaysian, regional and international responses to the piracy threat. It focuses on the period from the mid-2000s, examining changes and continuities in contemporary piracy in Malaysia and beyond. Piracy in Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian region has a long history. Long before the arrival of the Europeans in the sixteenth century, opportunistic attacks by maritime people such as fishers and petty traders were common throughout the region, but particularly in the waters adjacent to the kingdoms and entrepots. While pirate attacks were reported from different parts of Malaysia, two areas were particularly associated with pirate activities: waters off Sabah and Malacca Strait.
