- By Guilhem Charf – redtac.org
- Translated by Mohamed SAKHRI
Indonesia, a major maritime crossroads of the planet, particularly due to the Strait of Malacca and its archipelagic geography, serves as a hub of globalization and global trade, forming a maritime highway. The Indonesian nation is a maritime nation. This position undoubtedly offers numerous advantages but also leads to other problems, including security issues. The immense flows of goods, capital, and people also attract significant criminal activity in the region, particularly modern piracy, which stems from a long tradition along Indonesia’s coastlines (Center for Strategic Studies of the Navy, 2021).
Although acts of piracy are declining worldwide, the Southeast Asia region has once again become the most concerning globally (Frécon, 2023; McCauley, [n.d.]), whether in territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, or even in the High Seas, especially in the Indonesian maritime region and the Strait of Malacca. In 2022, 38 of the 150 reported piracy attacks worldwide occurred in Southeast Asia, with 20 attacks already registered in the first half of 2023 (Frécon, 2023). Modern piracy manifests in several forms according to the classification of the International Maritime Organization, varying in violence and organization in Southeast Asia: petty piracy, which corresponds to minor armed robbery; organized piracy, involving armed theft and aggression of intermediate severity leading to violent actions to plunder or hijack vessels; and international piracy, concerning aggravated criminal hijacking, characterized by planned international criminal activities with much greater resources (Frécon, 2002). These various manifestations of the phenomenon have varying consequences, but they all impact the economy and global trade as well as regional and international security. Piracy is one of the factors influencing the new Silk Road Initiative (Gandil, 2016), which seeks to avoid dangerous routes that could hinder trade. It may siphon off between 7 and 12 billion dollars annually from the global economy (Bowden et al., 2010). In 2022, according to the report from the International Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce, 10 vessels were boarded in Indonesia (Commercial Crime Services, International Maritime Bureau, 2023).
Indonesia is taking measures to combat piracy on a national level, but how effective are these measures? First, from an internal perspective, the maritime sector is divided among 12 different state agencies. This creates operational coordination and management issues. This system appears to hinder state efficiency in combating piracy (As’ad and Nafilah, 2022). Regarding the legal framework, articles 438 to 441, along with 444 and 445 of the Indonesian Penal Code, criminalize piracy (Chapsos and Fenton, 2019). However, the enforcement of these laws seems too lenient, with penalties considered too light and prison sentences often short. The consequences for an individual involved in illicit piracy activities are insufficient to discourage participation. The penalties may also be inadequate for rehabilitating convicted pirates or for satisfying the desire for retribution from victims and the public once they are released (Chapsos and Fenton, 2019). While Indonesia aims to tackle the scourge of piracy, it lacks adequate or even sufficient equipment. The Indonesian navy, already constrained by a preference for a land army, possesses equipment not well-suited for combating piracy that hides in difficult-to-access areas like mangroves (Ramones, 2013; Frécon, 2010) for the national navy’s warships. The country must develop a coastal navy equipped with fast-attack vessels (International Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce, 2023) and smaller rapid intervention boats. It also needs to expand its personnel to address the diffuse and immediate threat of piracy.
Indonesia is also participating in this fight at the regional and international levels. Firstly, it ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with articles 100 to 107 concerning piracy and establishing certain international obligations, such as the duty to cooperate in suppressing piracy on the High Seas (United Nations, 1982). Regionally, the country has also cooperated with Singapore and Malaysia. The search for power must give way to trust and goodwill among states in a common struggle for their security. They promote a liberal practice of international relations in their joint efforts to combat piracy (Bruder, 2021). NGOs could also play a more significant role in gathering human intelligence relevant to the realities faced by pirates, beyond operational insights.
References
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