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PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0452/01 1590647
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 080647Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2814
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0027
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0167
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0001
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0114
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 0006
RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA 0040
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0093
RHMFIUU/CJCS WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNB/JIATF WEST
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFIUU/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1120

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000452 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM PHSA KHLS KOMC EWWT ASEC MARR MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA'S ANTI-PIRACY CONFERENCE, MAY 18-19 
 
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 193 
 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) The Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Piracy 
and Crimes at Sea, May 18-19, was both well-timed given the 
global focus on piracy and well-placed near one of the 
epicenters of global shipping.  Participants from 66 
countries included Ambassador Keith and representatives of 
six U.S. agencies.  Malaysian organizers focused on littoral 
states' success in reducing piracy in the Strait of Malacca. 
U.S. presentations provided examples of multinational 
cooperation from the Gulf of Aden and the Caribbean.  The 
conference discussed the importance of addressing the root 
causes of piracy and the unique challenges posed by the 
situation in Somalia.  The Malaysian organizers produced a 
Chairman's statement that highlighted the primary 
responsibility of littoral states to tackle piracy and 
reiterated the need to address on land the root causes of 
piracy. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Comment:  Good attendance at the anti-piracy 
conference, along with its timeliness, made this a success 
for Malaysia.  There was healthy skepticism about the KL 
conference's emphasis on the relevance of the experience with 
piracy in the Straits of Malacca to efforts off the coast of 
Somalia, but most participants found elements of interest 
among the broad range of topics discussed.  Malaysia 
predictably used the conference to burnish its anti-piracy 
credentials in the Strait of Malacca.  Despite the 
conference's attention to addressing "root causes" of piracy, 
Malaysian speakers chose to attribute success in the Straits 
solely to modest levels of joint cooperation among littoral 
states, overlooking the effects of the 2004 tsunami and 2005 
peace accord in Aceh that corresponded with dramatic 
decreases in piracy.  The Chairman statement's focus on the 
primary responsibility of littoral states for anti-piracy and 
maritime security reflects Malaysia's long-standing policy in 
the Strait of Malacca and its wariness of involvement by 
outside powers.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
Overflow Participation 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Malaysian Foreign Ministry organizers initially 
planned for some 200 participants at Malaysia's May 18-19 
international conference on piracy, although the number of 
participants ballooned to 318.  In the end, the conference 
attracted very wide participation from some 66 countries, 
multiple industry associations, inter-governmental 
organizations, think tanks and academia.  Foreign Minister 
Anifah made a prominent reference to the piracy conference in 
his press availability following his meeting with Secretary 
Clinton on May 14.  The GOM encouraged USG participation in 
the conference and accommodated our speaking requests. 
Ambassador Keith attended the conference along with U.S. 
participants from State, Navy and the Navy Criminal 
Investigative Service, PACOM, and DEA. 
 
Strait of Malacca, Multinational Cooperation 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The conference program featured six sessions 
covering:  the global piracy situation; industry's response; 
legal frameworks; regional best practices in the Straits of 
Malacca and the Caribbean; cost-sharing among stakeholders; 
and the way forward (reftel).  The Malaysian organizers 
consistently attributed success in greatly reducing piracy in 
the Straits of Malacca to the cooperative patrols of 
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.  USG presentations 
consisted of a Combined Maritime Forces description of 
coordinating counter-piracy in the Gulf of Aden and a U.S. 
Coast Guard discussion of maritime law enforcement operations 
in the Caribbean.  Both presentations provided models of 
multinational coordination and joint actions that could 
inform and potentially enhance littoral states' cooperation 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000452  002 OF 002 
 
 
in the Strait of Malacca. 
 
Addressing Root Causes, Somalia 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The importance of addressing the root causes of 
piracy developed into another key theme at the conference. 
The discussion focused on current challenges in Somalia; 
presentations did not touch on the recent precedent in the 
Straits with the Aceh situation.  Recognizing that the root 
causes of piracy are on land and not at sea, the conference 
sought to highlight the unique and enduring challenges to 
establishing the rule of law and viable economic development 
in Somalia.  A number of Somali presentations, including the 
Director of Fisheries for the state of Puntland, urged 
greater engagement by the international community with local 
authorities on the ground.  Conference participants 
frequently noted discrepancies between the fractious and 
unstable governance structures in Somalia compared to the 
relatively stable and comparatively well-resourced 
organizations responsible for security in the Straits. 
 
Conference Chair's Statement 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Malaysian organizers initially proposed a 
conference statement that praised the Strait of Malacca 
littoral states for reducing piracy "without any assistance 
from outside powers," which participants noted would have 
overlooked substantial capacity-building assistance from the 
U.S., Japan and others.  The proposed statement also invited 
the UN to consider "establishment of an international 
maritime force."  (Note: the proposal echoed that made by 
Prime Minister Najib, then Deputy Prime Minister, at the 
November 2008 Peru APEC summit, at which he called for an 
international naval peace-keeping force.  End Note.)  After 
discussion, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry produced a Chair's 
Statement, which recognized the Contact Group as the primary 
mechanism for coordinating maritime forces in the 
counter-piracy effort off the coast of Somalia.  The 
statement pointedly emphasized the primary responsibility of 
littoral states to address piracy and other threats to 
maritime security, and reiterated the need to address on land 
the root causes of piracy.  We have forwarded the full 
statement to EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP and PM. 
RAPSON