D isruptions to shipping supply chains are being felt globally due to the conflict in Gaza and related attacks on ships by Houthi militias, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but they are not the only tension points stressing global sea lanes. Southeast Asian waters, the maritime crossroads of the Indo-Pacific, were not so long ago regarded as being among the world’s most dangerous. Real progress has been made in recent decades, but the criminal threats have not been completely eliminated and could become revitalized. Of particular concern have been pirates, armed robbers, and, to a lesser extent, terrorists which have historically exploited maritime governance gaps to attack the marine traffic concentrated in congested waters. At the turn of the century, Southeast Asia’s piracy and armed robbery rates were the world’s highest. Terrorism and violent extremism were also major regional problems that too frequently bled into the maritime domain. In 2005, the insecurity of Southeast Asia sea lanes reached a crescendo when the Lloyd’s insurance market, the Joint War Committee, declared the Malacca Strait to be at risk from “war, strikes, terrorism and related perils”. Southeast Asia’s coastal states collectively recognized the need for greater action and assigned maritime security greater policy priority while increasing the resources allocated for maritime law enforcement and criminal prosecution. A clear manifestation of these resources was the development of regional coast guards as strengthened agencies or new, maritime security-focused forces spun off from the navies.
This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title “”. Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/06/05/as-shipping-supply-chains-are-interrupted-by-wars-how-is-southeast-asia-faring.html.
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Reference : https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/06/05/as-shipping-supply-chains-are-interrupted-by-wars-how-is-southeast-asia-faring.html