Date: 30st March 2009
Venue: Wisma Putra


　On March 30, 2009, Mr. Masahiko Horie, Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, and Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, Secretary General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, signed Exchange of Notes on “the Project for Improvement of Equipment for Maritime Security Enhancement” and “the Project for Strengthening of the Capabilities for Preventing Sea Smuggling and Other Illegal Activities” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Putrajaya.

　“The Project for Improvement of Equipment for Maritime Security Enhancement” is a JPY 278 million-worth grant assistance provided for Marine Police Force, Royal Malaysian Police. The objective of the project is to enhance the capability of Marine Police Force for nighttime surveillance and regulation of crimes at sea using speed boats in Malaysian territorial water, including the Straits of Malacca. The provided components are
- Night Vision Goggle (40 sets),
- Binocular Range Finder (40 sets),
- Digital Portable Radio (60 sets), and
- Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (4 units).

　“The Project for Strengthening of the Capabilities for Preventing Sea Smuggling and Other Illegal Activities” is a JPY 714 million-worth grant assistance provided for Royal Malaysian Customs. The objective of the project is to enhance the capability of Royal Malaysian Customs for prevention and regulation of smuggling activities and unlawful immigration in the Malaysian territorial water. Provided components are
- Speed boat (10 units), and
- Hand Held Thermal Imager (14 units).

　These projects respectively mark the second and third grant aid assistance to Malaysia in the maritime sector, following the project for Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency which was completed this February.

　Straits of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes which 200 vessels pass through per day, carrying about one-third of the world’s sea traded goods. Some 14,000 Japanese vessels rely on the Straits each year and 80% of Japan’s oil is shipped from the Middle East via the Straits. Because of this importance, safety and security in Straits is a high priority not only to Malaysia but also for international users like Japan.

　Since 2004, Japan has been dispatching experts to support Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA): it assisted the creation of MMEA and has also been cooperating building capacities for maritime guard and rescue operations. These grant assistance projects to Marine Police Force and Royal Malaysian Customs are expected to contribute, together with past and ongoing technical cooperation, to a further improvement in regulations against illegal activities in Malaysia’s territorial water.
Also, Japan Coast Guard has dispatched patrol vessels to the South-East Sea twenty one times since November 2000 and operated combined drills with Marine Police Force in 2000 and 2007.

　Furthermore, in order to support activities by the Government of Malaysia for maritime security of the Malacca Straits, the Government of Japan has provided a grant aid project to MMEA for equipment aimed at improving existing Malaysian Sea Surveillance System, including Laser Camera System (3 sets) and Radio Direction Finder System (2 sets) (approx. 473 million yen (RM 17 million)).
 
　Japan, as a major user country of Straits of Malacca, reaffirms its commitment to strengthening safety and security of the Straits and to enhanced cooperation between the two countries in this sector.