85A
CONFIDENTIAL
073051 MDLOAN 1800
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR
TELNO 373
OF 201745Z NOV 92
AND TO PRIORITY JAKARTA, SINGAPORE
INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA, ATHENS, TOKYO, OSLO, WASHINGTON
INFO PRIORITY ALL OTHER ASEAN POSTS, HONG KONG, MODUK Hike 175/1
SIC
NR
OUR TELNO 419: PIRACY
1. YOU WILL WISH TO KNOW THAT THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION (IMO) COUNCIL, (MEETING 16-20 NOVEMBER), HAS AGREED TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO PREPARE A REPORT ON THE 'PREVENTION AND SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS', WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE MALACCA STRAITS AREA. THE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE TASK FORCE ARE AS FOLLOWS:
OUTLINING THE PROBLEM IN THE STRAIT OF MALACCA
SPECIFYING NAVIGATIONAL TECHNIQUES
RECOMMENDING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT ARRANGEMENTS APPROPRIATE FOR:
- CREWS
SHIPOWNERS AND OPERATORS AND
FLAG, COASTAL AND PORT STATES (INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY ON A REGIONAL BASIS)
SPECIFYING THE ASSOCIATED FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS RELATED TO THE
ABOVE CONSIDERATIONS.
2. BEFORE THE MEETING (AND UNKNOWN TO US) THE IMO APPROACHED THE MALAYSIAN, SINGAPOREAN AND INDONESIAN GOVERNMENTS ABOUT THEIR PARTICIPATION IN A TASK FORCE. SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSAL. INDONESIA HAS NOT OBJECTED. THE TASK FORCE IS LIKELY TO CONSIST OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM AUSTRALIA, GREECE, JAPAN, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, NORWAY, SINGAPORE, THE UK AND THE US. (DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND AMD WILL REPRESENT THE
UK).
3.
IN PLENARY INDONESIA REPORTED ON THE STEPS THEY HAD TAKEN TO SUPRESS PIRACY. IN PARTICULAR THE MENTIONED THEIR BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH SINGAPORE COUR TELNO 206) AND THEIR RECORD OF RECENT ARRESTS OF PIRATES. THEY REPORTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO
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