MALAYSIA WANTS ROOT CAUSES OF PIRACY ADDRESSED

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Monday stressed that it was vital
to address the root causes of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of
Somalia in order to effectively tackle the serious problem.

In his speech at the Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Piracy and
Crimes at Sea here Monday, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the root causes,
related to the political and socio-economic situation in the war-torn African
country, must be investigated and addressed.

"I think all of us accept the fact that in the long term, piracy in this
area can only be effectively tackled if the situation on land (in Somalia) is
stable," he told the 300 participants from about 40 countries.

Somalia is without an effective and functioning central government since the
overthrow of the dictatorial regime of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and a civil
war is still going on between various factions.

One of its regions, Puntland declared itself autonomous in 1998 while
another region, Somaliland declared independence in 1991, but were not
recognised by any country.

Another root cause of the piracy problem is said to be related to illegal
fishing by foreign vessels and dumping of chemicals and other hazardous waste by
foreign companies in Somalia's waters, thus forcing the local population to
resort to piracy for survival.

Anifah said the international community must find ways and means to solve
the piracy problem and to assist Somalia without infringing on its sovereignty
or causing any other related problems to the country.

While stressing that piracy was a serious problem and its negative impacts
were considerable and far-reaching, the minister said the piracy situation
in Somalia was a complex problem requiring a multi-dimensional solution.

"Therefore, we are realistic enough not to expect that the solution we
have implemented in this region, or in the Caribbean, or in any region in the
world for that matter, can be transplanted onto Somalia and the Gulf of Aden,"
he said.

The Gulf of Aden is a major transit route that connects Africa, Asia and
Europe to the significant supply of Persian Gulf oil, as well as other valuable
commodities.

Describing the issue as one of the most critical the world was facing today,
Anifah said piracy at important transit routes critically threatened global
trade and this was a serious matter in an era of a highly globalised and
integrated world economy.

Anifah said the economic costs of piracy included delayed delivery, higher
insurance rates, damaged ships and payments of ransom for the release of ships,
passengers and crew.

It was reported that Somali pirates earned about US$80 million in ransom
payments in 2008 alone.

Anifah said piracy also had negative political and security impacts and the
causes of this menace might themselves be rooted in specific socio-economic or
political attributes of the country concerned.

"However, if left flourishing and undeterred, piracy will encourage all
kinds of other illicit activities that will undermine the rule of law and good
governance."

Anifah said, as an active trading nation, Malaysia had also been adversely
affected by the piracy menace in the Gulf of Aden.

Three Malaysian vessels fell victims to pirates in the area and since
August 2008, the Royal Malaysian Navy had deployed in stages five vessels
to provide security escort, primarily to Malaysian merchant vessels plying the
Gulf of Aden.

Anifah said Malaysia was in a unique position to contribute towards finding
a solution to the problem because of its experience in the Straits of Malacca, a
major international shipping route where piracy was once a problem.

"However, by 2008, the number of piracy cases and robbery against ships had
markedly reduced to four from 40 cases in 2000.

"Our experiences in the region have shown that problems of piracy and crimes
at sea can be effectively tackled, while respecting international law and the
territorial integrity of coastal states, through effective cooperative
mechanisms among littoral states."

Anifah also said that Kuala Lumpur was supportive of all the efforts of the
international community, especially through the United Nations, in finding
a solution to the situation in the seas off the coast of Somalia.

The two-day conference is being attended by government and military
officials, academics, diplomats and representatives from the shipping industry.
-- BERNAMA