Coast Guards of Singapore and South Korea Start Joint Exercise
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Singapore, Singapore (AHN) - The coast guards of Singapore and South Korea conducted their first joint maritime exercises in an effort to increase the anti-piracy capabilities of both nations. The exercises were held off Malacca Straits where a coast guard ship from Seoul, the "Tae-pyung-yang" acted as a distressed vessel being attacked by pirates. In the exercise, combined forces from the Singaporean and South Korean coast guards stormed the hijacked ship and subdued the "pirates" within minutes. Ng Yeow Boon, acting commander of the Singapore Police Coast Guard cited the timeliness of the exercise saying piracy incidents against vessels plying the Malacca Straits have been a major concern. Ng told CNA, "We are beginning to be aware of each other's capability and what we can do to combat piracy and sea robberies in this region. We know that the South Korean Coast Guard has been traveling to many continents, sharing with many agencies so they are also bringing us their experience and their learning from those agencies." He adds these exercises were showing positive results as the incidence of piracy have been declining over the past four years. In 2003, there were 195 recorded pirates attack in the strait, 138 in 2004 and 98 in 2005. Eight vessels from Singapore and South Korea participated in the exercise involving 100 coast guard troops.
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