Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency reports 14 sea robbery cases in 2014

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) handled 14 sea robbery cases last year with many taking place in southern Johor (the Straits of Singapore), eastern Johor and the South China Sea.
While saying that they managed to nab six groups of sea robbers, some of whom are serving jail terms of 10 to 15 years, MMEA director-general Admiral Maritime Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish said the Straits of Malacca reported no cases.
All of them were detained in southern Johor which is the Straits of Singapore," he added.
"Many sea robberies happen in the Straits of Singapore and the eastern part of Johor," he said after the launch of the Asean Seminar on Piracy, Sea Robbery and Maritime Terrorism - Sharing of Information and Best Practices at Istana Hotel today.
Mohd Amdan revealed that a lot of people do not have a clear view of where these sea robberies occurred.
"Many reports indicated that this (sea robberies) happened in the Straits of Malacca, though it actually happened in the Straits of Singapore," he said.
The three-day seminar is a platform for Asean countries to share their knowledge and experience to formulate connectivity among them.
"The number of sea robbery cases increased last year, so we are trying to curb this problem by understanding their modus operandi while seeking cooperation of our counterparts in the region," he said.
Mohd Amdan said that currently MMEA only has direct connection to Singapore and Indonesia.
"We need connectivity between organisations in Asean. We don't have a direct link yet to coast guard other Asean countries.
Mohd Amdan said that if the connectivity issue can be solved, MMEA and other Asean countries can find out the connection between the robberies and the funding.
"This is what we're looking at. This is what we're trying to cut down on by understanding the robbery patterns, where they are connected to and the flow of funds.
"We want to detect the big player now rather than the small players we always deal with. There has to be some flow of money somewhere that has something to do with robberies," added Mohd Amdan.