T

he Indonesian Navy is frequently confronted with bogus piracy reports in the Malacca Strait, most of which turn out to be related to insurance fraud or business competition.

'€œThe number of criminal cases in the Malacca Strait has declined. However, we believe there [must be a plot] to make the Malacca Strait the most dangerous strait in the world,'€ the commander of the Navy'€™s Western Fleet (Armabar), Rear Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrochman, told reporters.

The Malacca Strait, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, is an important global shipping route for vessels carrying anything from crude oil to finished products from all over the world.

According to the Navy'€™s investigation, as many as 90 percent of piracy cases in the area were filed with ulterior motives, involving not only Indonesian citizens but also people of other nationalities.

'€œWe have caught the masterminds behind several cases. They are in Batam now. We have investigated their involvement, and we will coordinate with neighboring countries that are also affected by the cases,'€ Taufiq said.

The reports in the Malacca Strait, according to him, were mostly related to insurance claims and business competition. When a ship got robbed or items on aboard were lost to theft, the company would file a report to an insurance company, in order to claim the insurance compensation.

'€œSo the cases were not pure crimes, but there was something behind that, something that we should find out,'€ Taufiq said.

Thw Navy plans to conduct a combined investigation with Malaysia, Vietnam and other neighboring countries to cooperate on identifying the beneficiaries from criminal activity in the Malacca Strait.

Currently, Armabar is conducting the so-called Western Fleet Quick Response operation aimed at securing the western sea territories of Indonesia. The Navy claimed the operation was successful in reducing the number
of crimes.

'€œWe can say that the strait is safe,'€ Taufiq claimed.

The Malacca Strait has long been a hotbed of criminal activity, such as robbery and piracy, and has received a lot of media attention in recent years.

On Wednesday last week, 12 armed men in two small boats attacked another boat and robbed 20 gallons of fuel. The navy managed to catch one of the boats and arrest its crew of four.

On Friday, the Navy arrested a suspected robber who had allegedly entered the ship MV Merlin and stolen spare parts in waters near Tanjung Balai Karimun, Riau Island. The ensuing investigation led the Navy to a place where the alleged perpetrators hid stolen goods worth around Rp 10 billion, located on Parit Island, Riau island.

Navy Spokesperson Commodore Muhammad Zainuddin told The Jakarta Post that the Navy was trying to secure several areas that were '€œvulnerable'€ to criminal activity.

'€œThe areas are the Malacca Strait, the Singapore Strait and Natuna,'€ Zainuddin said.

He said that the three areas were known to be used by smugglers.

Indonesian waters are very important, as they contain critical sea lanes for trade, naval movement and other maritime interests.