Countries Keep Squabbling Over Security in Key Strait (Arrrh, Me Hearties!)

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | Friday, June 13, 2003 | PHILLIP DAY

[presidio9]

Security has been tightened around the world since Sept. 11, 2001, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But in the Strait of Malacca, a narrow channel that carries one-third of global trade and most of the oil that powers Asia's economies, attacks on shipping remain a common occurrence as countries squabble over what can be done.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Park an attack submarine in the Strait. There, that was not so hard, was it?

[John Beresford Tipton]

Rum and Gold are good to follow
'Til bones be bare and skulls be hollow

Pirate song [not that I heard it first hand, but there was some boy hiding in an apple barrel as I recall]

[presidio9]

Problem is most of the pirate ships are fiberglass speedboats, and there are thousands of little islands and coves for them to hide in. The Staight of Malaca is as long as California.

[presidio9]

Incidently, the footnote in the title is my own.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Problem is most of the pirate ships are fiberglass speedboats, and there are thousands of little islands and coves for them to hide in. The Staight of Malaca is as long as California.

Thanks. I knew my suggestion was overly simple. It seems that if the attackers are using small speed boats then boarding these large vessels requires cooperation from the larger vessels. Collusion perhaps? Seems that a minimum of arms on the larger vessels could repel those folks.

[presidio9]

If you are looking for an interesting "Beach Novel" this summer, might I suggest "Balance of Power" by James W. Huston? I picked it up after Rush talked about it on his show last year. I couldn't put it down. It is a Clancy-type thriller that deals partially with this subject.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Thanks again. I remember Rush talking about that.

[presidio9]

One thing I like about Huston as an author (and after reading this I went on to read all his other books) is he deals with a lot of conservative issues like sexual morality and Constitutional interpretation in addition to spinning a compelling tech-thriller yarn.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Although I have never been much on fiction, even Clancy, Grisham, et. al, I will give Huston a try. Thanks.

[John O]

"Indonesia still remains the problem, as their waters are the most pirate-infested of anywhere on the globe,

Indonesia also has the largest moslem population in the world. Mere coincidence? I don't think so.

Religion of peace bump