Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Malacca Straits 2
US to share info about Malacca Straits safety
SINGAPORE
-
The
commander
of
the
US
Pacific
Fleet
said
on
Saturday
that
Washington
plans
to
enhance
maritime
security
in
Asia
by
sharing
information
that
could
lead
to
inspections
of
vessels
carrying
suspicious
cargo
in
the
vital
Straits
of
Malacca.
'If
one
nation
had
a
concern
or
an
interest
about
a
ship
or
a
cargo
on
a
ship,
you
could
pass
that
information
to
a
country
that
was
participating
(in
Malacca
Straits
security),'
Admiral
Walter
Doran
said.
'And
then
...
they
would
take
whatever
action
they
felt
was
appropriate
as
far
as
going
aboard,
taking
a
look.'
Adm
Doran
stressed,
however,
that
the
initiative
did
not
include
the
use
of
US
forces
in
the
straits
-
backtracking
on
an
earlier
Pentagon
suggestion
that
it
could
use
its
elite
forces
to
help
patrol
the
trade
route,
which
carries
half
the
world's
oil.
Malaysia
and
Indonesia
have
repeatedly
opposed
the
use
of
US
forces
in
their
waters.
They
said
they
would
consider
it
an
infringement
of
their
sovereignty.
Thousands
of
commercial
vessels
pass
through
the
Straits
of
Malacca
each
year,
and
Washington
and
Singapore
fear
that
terrorists
may
try
to
blow
up
a
vessel
there
or
load
it
with
explosives
and
sail
it
into
a
harbour.
AP
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/88590/1/.html
###
Posted June 6, 2004