The Hindu : International : Security-initiative for Malacca Straits launched

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 25, 2005

International

International

Security-initiative for Malacca Straits launched

P. S. Suryanarayana

4-nation project aims at protecting shipping trade

SINGAPORE: Four southeast Asian countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand - have launched a joint security-initiative, known as the "Eyes in the Sky" project, to protect shipping along the busy global trade-route of Malacca Straits.

Their "combined air-patrols" over this narrow maritime zone cover the adjacent Straits of Singapore as well.

All the three military wings of each member-state of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are conducting "combined, joint, operations in a multi-threat scenario."

These operations, slated to last until September 28 in the vicinity of the Malacca Straits, are being carried out by Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as a military "exercise."

Objective

One of the objectives of this live exercise is to "address capacity-building against non-conventional threats" such as terrorism.

For this, the five partners are "utilising a maritime security-serial," according to the FPDA authorities.

The exercise, with includes training for "force-integration", is being held along the peninsular parts of Malaysia, Singapore, and the South China Sea. The Eyes in the Sky initiative does not involve the FPDA.

Only Malaysia and Singapore are cooperating mainly with Indonesia, the only other littoral-state along the same waterway. Thailand has been co-opted, though it is not a littoral state.

The political significance of this initiative is that the U.S., which proposed in 2004 a "Regional Maritime Security Initiative" for the straits, is still being kept at bay by these states and Thailand, a U.S. ally.

External powers

The project is now part of a wider "Malacca Straits Security Initiative (MSSI)," which was launched several months ago independently of the U.S. With Indonesia and Malaysia opposing the idea of allowing external military powers like the U.S. any access to the Malacca Straits for maintaining security there, the three littoral states, including Singapore, began "coordinated naval-patrolling" by themselves.

This set off the MSSI, which has now been expanded to cover aerial surveillance.

According to the littoral states, "other friendly states and stakeholders" will be invited to join the MSSI "in the near future" following a review of the ongoing operations.

The bottom-line for any participation by new members is the consent of the littoral states.

India is among the states on the radar screens of the littoral states for this purpose.