Posted on 06/19/2004 6:09:08 PM PDT by FairOpinion
JAKARTA, June 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia's naval chief has ordered his commanders to shoot dead armed terrorists or pirates operating in key waterways including the busy Strait of Malacca, which carries a third of world trade.
Navy Chief of Staff, Bernard Kent Sondakh, would also meet soon with his counterparts from Malaysia and Singapore to seek ways to increase joint patrols in the Strait, officials said on Friday.
The Malacca Strait is an 805-km (500-mile) channel through which about 50,000 commercial vessels pass each year, including ships ferrying 80 percent of Japan's oil needs.
"In the future, every thief or terrorist at sea has to be shot dead and this should be publicised by the mass media to teach a lesson," Sondakh said in a statement.
The United States and Singapore have voiced alarm at the risk of pirates linked to terror groups attacking tankers or other vessels in the Strait, and called for tougher security measures.
But Muslim-majority nations Indonesia and Malaysia, on either side of the waterway, have rejected suggestions foreign forces might be used.
Sondakh said his tough order applied especially to the Strait of Malacca, where piracy is a constant menace to vessels.
He complained pirates and hijackers caught at sea by the Indonesian navy were serving only light jail terms and then returning to their ways.
"Those who use weapons have to be shot dead. Don't take them alive, unless they surrender and ask for mercy," he said.
"From now on we will show to the world that the Indonesian Navy alone is capable of safeguarding the Malacca Strait, and don't try and accuse us of violating human rights again."
Navy deputy spokesman Colonel Sumantri said no schedule was available for Sondakh's meeting with his Malaysian or Singaporean counterparts.
"We have been doing coordinated patrols for some time with Malaysia and Singapore there. What we are going to discuss later is how to increase those patrols," Sumantri said.
He had no further details.
The United States is expected to start talks soon with Asian nations on a Regional Maritime Security Initiative, an as yet ill-defined plan whose focus will be to boost cooperation.
Singapore has repeatedly warned of the potential link between pirates and militant networks such as Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for the deadly 2002 bomb blasts on the island of Bali and linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda.
The Bali blasts killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
It's all Bush's fault, because he is making the terrorists hate us. (/sarcasm)
Now I've watched a couple of dead armed Pirates pitch in my day, but are the Terrorists going to be an expansion club out of Portland or Dearborn?
Now this is the way to deal with pirates and terrorists........:o)
Stay safe !
Sounds like a plan to me!
OK, how does a chief of (navel) staff in a Muslim, Indonesian society come by the name of Bernard Kent? Inquiring minds want to know.
OK, how does a chief of (navel) staff in a Muslim, Indonesian society come by the name of Bernard Kent? Inquiring minds want to know.
"Those who use weapons have to be shot dead. Don't take them alive, unless they surrender and ask for mercy,"
The "Bush Doctrine" might be catching on after all. Godspeed to those who see the light
lol
"Block sea lanes" or blow up U.S. aircraft carriers?
Good luck getting one of those within miles of a US aircraft carrier
Personally I would expect them to use a tanker to blow up one of our ports.
Our ports don't handle supertankers. They offload at pipeline terminals. The Suez scenario is very possible and would cause a lot of hand wringing if not real damage. The physical damage could probably be cleared quickly, but the economic hit could be large
I think it is the economy that the terrorists are after. I think that is why NYC was the first target. Bring down the economy, saps our source of power. Only the dims don't know that the economy is our source of strength. They see the economy as a source for taxes they get to spend.
Time for a new doctrine, to educate people about the 12-mile thing - outside the 12-mile limit: "We're the US Navy. We go where we want, when we want, and do pretty much what we want." We remembered the Maine. We should remember the Cole.
Thing about Mansoor Ijaz is that basically everything he says is some sort of cool, exciting, or scary scoop not found anywhere else.
While that might seem impressive, it's actually a good sign that about 95% of what he says is pure, unadulterated BS. If it's too good (or interesting) to be true, it probably is.
Are we really following it? I want the term "bring them to justice" surgically removed from President Bush's vocabulary. VP Cheney's "destroy them" has much better ring.
Are we really following it? Seem to be a lot of terrorist harborers we haven't touched. But perhaps in time.
I also want to see the phrase "bring them to justice" surgically removed from President Bush's vocabulary. We don't want to clog domestic courts with terrorists. VP Cheney's "destroy them" has much better ring.
Sorry for the dup.
Oh my. PLEASE DON'T LET MICHAEL MOORE KNOW THIS. HE'LL COME OUT WITH A NEW MOVIE; POSSIBLY CALLED "OCEANS 9/11".
There are a LOT of variations on that theme.
Hate to say it, but they may be onto somthing.
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