Borneo Bulletin
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2001

S'pore seeks global efforts to stamp out piracy, human smuggling

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore called Tuesday for enhanced international maritime security cooperation, saying it was "more important than ever" to rid the seas of piracy, human cargo smuggling and deliberate pollution.

"The security of sea lanes ... has a strong and direct impact on the security and prosperity of the international community," Minister of State for Defence David Lim told the opening of a naval and maritime defence conference.

"There is therefore every reason and incentive for countries to cooperate with one another to ensure the continued freedom and safety of navigation."

IMDEX Asia 2001 -- which has drawn more than 100 maritime defence exhibitors and military delegations from over 40 governments -- was an ideal platform for countries to exchange information at formal and informal levels, Lim said.

Even in the so-called New Economy, maritime trade remained a vital resource for the prosperity of many countries, and the projected increase in trade particularly in Asia made it "all the more compelling" to safeguard sea lanes, he said.

Lim said the challenges facing governments ranged from natural hazards and accidents to crimes such as piracy, which increased 50 percent last year and directly affected security, and smuggling which abused the freedom of navigation.

In the first three months of this year, worldwide piracy attacks hit a 10-year quarterly high of 68.

It was "imperative that countries cooperate more closely on a transnational level in order to deal effectively" with piracy and smuggling which occur outside national borders, Lim said describing the smuggling of human cargo as "the most abominable abuse" of maritime navigation.

"This is a crime that blatantly violates international humanitarian standards and human rights," he said.

"It has been estimated that every year, more than one million people are illegally transported around the world.

"According to the UN, the trafficking of humans generates about seven billion US dollars for the criminal syndicates running these operations."

Lim said dealing with the deliberate dumping of toxic waste, including chemical pollutants, heavy metals and sewage, also required enhanced international cooperation.