[ ASEAN to Hold Piracy Meet Here ]

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in a su
mmit meeting held on Sunday in Manila, accepted a proposal made by Jap
anese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to hold an international conference
in Japan next year to discuss anti-piracy measures to be taken by gove
rnment authorities of East and Southeast Asian countries.
Obuchi made the proposal in light of recent frequent occurrences in So
utheast Asian water of piracy, including the seajacking of Japanese fr
eighter Alondra Rainbow.
At the international conference, the agenda of which has yet to be dec
ided, efforts will be made to build an integrated international cooper
ative effort comprising related nations’ coast guards and other marin
e authorities.
In relation to the Alondra Rainbow incident, meanwhile, the Japanese M
inistry of Transport (MOT) has dispatched to India, Indonesia, Malaysi
a, Singapore and Thailand a joint mission composed of representatives
from the Maritime Safety Agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Japanese Shipowners’ Association through December 10.
During the itinerary tour of these five nations, the joint mission wil
l not only express thanks for the invaluable support and cooperation e
xtended during the search for the seajacked freighter and the rescue o
f her crew, but will also ask government authorities to continue their
efforts to clarify the incident for the prevention of similar inciden
ts.