MARITIME VIOLENCE : IMPLICATIONS TO MALAYSIA

Abstract

Maritime Piracy has been a serious threat to the international community especially in the Southeast Asia region. This threat has caused tremendous implications towards the world economy, environment, political stability of the nations involved because 45% of the shipping company passes through the Southeast Asia. The worrying fact is that these attacks were committed by terrorists as well as traditional maritime pirates. This paper examines on the implications of maritime crime in Malaysia and discusses whether the definition of piracy under the International Law could be applied to these attacks. This paper concludes that cooperation between the region's states and the enhancement of a good security system of one state are needed to combat maritime violence. Thus it is imperative that the international law need to be changed in order to enhance the meaning of piracy and also to include sea terrorism.