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August 18, 2005

  Regional cooperation to insure the security of the Straits of Malacca is increasing. Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, who already share information through an anti-piracy center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and run coordinated security patrols, are considering pooling surveillance assets and operating combined patrols, perhaps with mixed crews on ships or aircraft. Other nations, notably Thailand, but also Japan and even Vietnam, have been supporting these efforts. Its not just piracy that is feeding this effort, but fear of Islamic terrorists trying to block the straits. Al Qaeda, and similar organizations, have all been very vocal about their efforts to destroy the economies of Western nations, and Moslem ones that do not support Islamic radicalism (that would include all Islamic nations at the moment.)