Sea Eagle Task Force to Fight Strait of Malacca Piracy
COMMANDER OF the Western Fleet Command Indonesia Navy, Admiral Widodo Young states he has now formed a special team called the Sea Eagle joint task force. This special team will be placed specifically in the Riau Islands to minimize cases of piracy in the Philips Channel, the Singapore Strait and the Strait of Malacca which is known to be prone to the crime of piracy against ships.
"Yesterday, we secured four pirates who were captured as a result of action by joint task force dedicated team Sea Eagle. They stated that they are not actually pirates because they only take valuables, and did not try injure anyone or hijack the ship," said Rear Admiral Widodo, during a press conference at the naval base Batuampar Batam, Saturday (27/12) night.
The four pirates who had carried out robberies three times on board a ships and foreign-flagged tug sailing in the waters of the Strait of Malacca and Nipa island. In fact not only the four suspects. Once investigated, two more suspects who are still at large plotted the boarding and seizing valuables on ships in the Philips Channel and Singapore Strait.
One person held, admitted that by his actions he often robbed foreign vessels in the Straits of Malacca, Singapore and the Philips Channel.
"The four pirates we chased and tracked their existence using combat boat and sea rider RHIB on Christmas Day, December 25, at 0300 LT. From the results of intelligence in the field, it turns out that the four pirates were hiding and mingling with the people on the island of Terung Kepulauan Riau," said Rear Admiral Widodo.
Once checked, the names of suspects of some people especially community leaders Terung Kepulauan Riau Island, it is true that the four suspects were already associated with robbery in the Strait of Malacca, Singapore or Philips Channel.
"We have evidence in the form of drugs such as marijuana and a half kilo ready to be distributed, 104 packets of dried marijuana ready for sale, and 1 packet of shabu (methamphetamine) in the hands of the four suspects. They did not only rob but robbed to buy methamphetamine or marijuana for their use," said Rear Admiral Widodo.
Widodo said I'm sure there will be another colleague or gang of four suspected of piracy still in hiding. Most likely the pirate gang in Strait of Malacca, Singapore and the Philips Channel and a fourth suspect are all still hiding in Batam.
Original source: Batampos Indonesia [translated]
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