The Strait of Malakka: The World's most Dangerous Sea Passage, 2004

SWR

Between 1984 and 2002, the "International Maritime Organisation" (IMO) have counted 2,626 cases of piratry and armed robbery on ships. In 2003 there was an increase of  20 percent over the previous year. Todays pirates act globally, have become increasingly less scrupulous in their choice of weapons and attack ships with modern rapid firing guns and explosives. The most attacks in the Straits of Malakka take place between Sumatra and Malaysia.
Up to 900 ships cruise at slow speed everyday through the straits -  offering an ideal target for modern piratry. Sumatra is simultaneously the location of a bloody separatist rebellion, which the fundamentalist Muslim movement "Free Aceh" are carrying out against the central powers in Jakarta.. The separatists work together with the pirates, who in turn are supported by corrupt elements within the police and the port authorities, enabling them to freely carry out their criminal activities.