7 - State Responses to Piracy

Summary

Although our defence capability to deal with any threat is adequate at the moment, we will continue to enhance it in accordance with the country's financial capacity.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak

INTRODUCTION

In an interview with the author, Daniel Tan, the executive director of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), explained that merchant vessels simply exist to transport goods from point A to point B. Shipowners and operators, therefore, provide a service that both assists the global economy and is important to states. Consequently, Tan believes that it is the responsibility of the states where pirate attacks occur, rather than the shipowners, to provide security for merchant vessels. As a representative of the interests of shipowners, Tan clearly wants to place the responsibility for security and the financial costs that such measures incur into the hands of states and their law enforcement agencies. While it remains contested who is responsible for providing security in the maritime sphere, states and law enforcement agencies are, overall, the primary providers of security for ships in ports and waters under their jurisdiction. This chapter discusses state responses to piracy in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh. It seeks to explore how states, government policies, and the economic and political situation within countries and regions shape piracy and affect national, regional and international security. Particular attention is paid to how the emergence of national maritime borders, the establishment and development of those government agencies responsible for addressing piracy, and security cooperation between countries influence the occurrence of piracy.

STATES, BORDERS, AND MILITARIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND BANGLADESH

Pre-1989

Bangladesh and most Southeast Asian countries became independent nations within the three decades following World War II. The way in which these independent states emerged, the economic development of these countries, and the establishment and funding of their military forces and law enforcement agencies, have had a major impact on contemporary maritime piracy.