JAKARTA: The fear that the Malacca Strait, with its high level of maritime piracy, would jeopardise the security of bordering states – Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – as well as the international trade route has been allayed, at least for now. The three governments finally got their act together last week and launched a coordinated patrol of the strait.
Although this is a normal defensive measure against piracy, it is also seen as the beginning of a new chapter in regional inter-navy relations.