Topic: Open
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Jordan Wagner
School: Traverse City West High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Indonesia position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
A reinsurgence of piracy, especially around the waters of Somalia, has prompted my country of Indonesia to take a firm stance against these illegal actions. As a country that has dealt with piracy for most of its existence, we believe that hard and stern consequences need to be enacted toward these pirates. Up until April 2008, Indonesia was the most prone country to pirate attacks. Made up of over 17,000 islands, pirates could easily hide from oncoming ships. Southeast Asian waters are still very susceptible to pirate attacks with over 50% of all pirate attacks occurring in this region of the world with over 30% of piracy occurring in Indonesian waters, accounting for more pirate attacks than any other country. Furthermore, the Straits of Malacca, the water between Indonesia’s island of Java and the landmass that encompasses Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, is the most prone body of water to experience piracy. A drastic increase of pirate attacks in the last ten years has promoted the international community to take notice of the current situation in Somalia. One of the main reasons why the world is now taking notice and focusing on Somalia is because the pirates are not just ceasing ships and holding the crew members/passengers hostage, they are hijacking oil carrying ships. With such a high demand for oil in this day and age, the international community, especially some oil thirsty countries, cannot let this oil be destroyed or controlled by the pirates. It is not the welfare of the vessel or the passengers that these oil countries care about, it is the oil on the ships that matter most to these countries. Nigeria recently overtook Indonesia as the most prone spot for piracy because of their oil production business and shipping. The waters around Somalia are also extremely prone because of all the oil shipments coming out of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Indonesia supports many different solutions to the problem of piracy. First and foremost, we currently require all ships sailing within our waters, foreign or domestic, to pay piracy insurance. This helps avoid of the lost of money if a ship was attacked by pirates. Furthermore, it does not put the economic burden on our government. Second, for countries with international water or bordering international water, we encourage and promote the use of bilateral and multilateral relations with surrounding countries to help patrol the region. Currently, Indonesia is in agreements with Malaysia and Singapore to ensure peace within the Straits of Malacca. Our countries go on patrols together and take turns with shifts. This not only strengthens our relations with these other countries but also helps to protect of international waters. Indonesia also has naval ships stationed throughout the Strait and frequently simulates pirate attacks to help prepare for a real life situation. In addition, Indonesia voted yes on Security Council Resolution 1816, which allows foreign navies to fight Somali pirates. We urge all countries to uphold this resolution and abide by its operative clauses. Only through the cooperation of all countries will piracy be combated.
