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CONFIDENTIAL
LAST PAT
PIRACY
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Brother brief.
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Background
Press interest has diminished, with only three incidents having been reported in the past few months. Might be raised if there is a high profile incident during the Minister's visit. The subject last achieved prominence in May, when Hong Kong withdrew its report to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on attacks in the South China Sea, partly for legal and partly for diplomatic reasons (i.e. in order not to jeopardise ongoing consultations with the Chinese on the issue). Suggestions in Hong Kong of official Chinese involvement in "piracy" were founded on Chinese officials performing customs functions with a high degree of force. The problem was partly due to the Chinese operating a bounty system for customs officials, thus providing an incentive to retrieve goods using force if necessary. Discussions with the Chinese have since led to a marked decrease in reported attacks. The IMO continues to consider the question.
Line to take (if pushed)
This matter is now being discussed in the IMO. Believe that international co-operation is the best way to deal with the problem.
CONFIDENTIAL