M`SIAN NAVY IN MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Navy is participating in a
10-day, multinational naval exercise codenamed 'AMAN 2009' in Pakistan,
beginning Thursday.

The exercise includes search-and-rescue and anti-piracy operations, and
fleet formation defences.

Pakistan High Commissioner to Malaysia Lt Gen (Rtd) Tahir Mahmud Qazi
told Bernama the exercise was aimed at allowing participants to gain useful
experience from their foreign counterparts and strengthen communication
capacity.

He said it was also aimed at learning how to cooperate with one another to
handle new threats and challenges at sea, besides maintaining regional peace and
stability.

Among the 38 countries participating were United States, Australia, Britain,
China, France, Japan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Kuwait and Nigeria.

He said this was the second time Malaysians were taking part in the
exercise, having participated in AMAN 2007.

Tahir said the exercise would include 15 battleships, maritime aircraft,
2,000 sailors and other special forces.

He added that the Pakistani navy had identified piracy, drug and human
trafficking as the main maritime threats confronting the region.

The Bahria University in Karachi will also hold an international maritime
conference on the sidelines of the exercise, he said.
-- BERNAMA