Myanmar News Links: Pirates kidnap Indonesian crewmen in Malaysia

GOOGLE map showing Malacca Straits

KUALA LUMPUR – Armed pirates boarded a Singapore-managed oil tanker in the Strait of Malacca, kidnapping three Indonesian crewmen and stealing some of the vessel's shipment of diesel fuel, the International Maritime Bureau said Wednesday.

The attack occurred early Tuesday off Malaysia's west coast, said Noel Choong, head of IMB's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting center.

The diesel oil tanker was believed to be en route to Myanmar.

"IMB is aware of the attack on the Singapore-managed ship in the Malacca Straits. IMB is concerned about the kidnapping of the three senior Indonesian crew members," he told AFP, adding that the ship was now berthed off Port Klang, Malaysia's main port, for investigations.

Reports showed the incident occurred shortly after midnight about 16 nautical miles off the coast, and the crew only realized something wrong when they saw about five or six men armed with a pistol and a machete aboard the ship.

The report said the pirates subdued and tied up the crew, robbed the vessel and brought in two other tankers that pumped out a large quantity of the vessel's diesel.

After the attackers fled several hours later, the crew discovered three shipmates comprised of Indonesian, Thai, Myanmar and Indian nationals were believed to be kidnapped.

The Strait of Malacca is a key highway for sea traffic between and Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and has long been a hunting ground for pirates due to the large numbers of cargo and other vessels passing through. (AFP)