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4. Political Piracy and Maritime Terrorism: A Comparison between the Straits of Malacca and the Southern Philippines
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Chapter
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52 Stefan Eklöf Amirell 4 Political Piracy and Maritime Terrorism: A Comparison between the Straits of Malacca and the Southern Philippines Stefan Eklöf Amirell Introduction Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York (9/11), the threat of a terrorist attack targetting the maritime sector has gained considerable attention, both in the international media and in international fora such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In comparison with the aviation sector, where security immediately improved considerably in the wake of 9/11, the maritime sector seemed to provide terrorists with a wealth of easy or soft targets. Even though a range of measures have since been implemented in order to improve maritime security, it still seems much easier for terrorists to hijack a ship than an aeroplane. This chapter will discuss the twin problems of political piracy and maritime terrorism in Southeast Asia. Even though it may often be difficult in practice to separate the two phenomena from one another — and from 04 PMaritime Terrorism Ch 4 9/28/06, 2:23 PM 52 Political Piracy and Maritime Terrorism 53 “ordinary”, non-political piracy — the distinction is useful, on a theoretical level, in order to identify the main characteristics of the different threats that maritime crime and terrorism currently pose. Both political piracy and maritime terrorism can be seen as special sub-categories of piracy broadly defined. They differ from most forms of common piracy, however, in that they are in principle perpetrated for public — rather than private — ends.1 Thus, the main criteria for defining political piracy revolves around the issue of motive: It is not carried out for the purpose of private economic gain, but rather for the purpose of generating funds for political, ideological or religious, struggle — usually an armed insurgency. Admittedly, the distinction may be a fine one, as common banditry is often cloaked in political, ideological or religious pretexts. However, the blurred boundaries between political piracy and “ordinary” piracy — or, more broadly put, between a political struggle and banditry — does not make the distinction less valuable. On the contrary, for practical purposes, it is all the more important to identify the most fundamental motives behind the specific piratical activity in order to identify and deploy the most efficient counter-measures. Just like political piracy, acts of maritime terrorism are perpetrated in order to promote a political, ideological or religious cause. What distinguishes maritime terrorism from political and other forms of piracy, however, is the focus on violence as a means of creating havoc or instilling fear in a population or the general public. In contrast to other forms of piracy, where the motive is driven by economics, the objective of maritime terrorism is the very violence constituting the attacks.2 Again, the boundaries may be blurred, but the distinction is useful in order to identify the required responses and levels of security needed. Political Piracy in the Malacca Straits Aside from the problem of “ordinary” piracy, the Malacca Straits have in the past few years seen an increase in what can best be described as “political piracy” perpetrated by members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka). The organization, which was founded in 1976, has been fighting an armed struggle for Acehnese independence from the Indonesian central government, and piracy — including the kidnapping of crew members for ransom — seems to have become a source of funding for that struggle in the last few years, at least for some sections of the organization. 04 PMaritime Terrorism Ch 4 9/28/06, 2:23 PM 53 [3.238.12.0] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:23 GMT) 54 Stefan Eklöf Amirell According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the first reported incident involving kidnappings for ransom off the Acehnese coast occurred on 25 June 2001. The Indonesian-flagged tanker MT Tirta Niaga IV had anchored off the west coast of Aceh to conduct engine repairs when a group of pirates boarded the ship and looted the vessel of cash and valuables. The pirates then abducted the master and second officer and took them ashore. The second officer was released a few days later after negotiations, but the master was held hostage for more than six months before being released, reportedly after a ransom of US$30,000 was paid.3 The attack on the Tirta Niaga IV seems, at least from the start, to have been an opportunistic attack by coastal villagers with no...