Navy arrests six Malacca strait pirates

BATAM. The Indonesian Navy has apprehended six pirates involved in a sea piracy network operating in the straits of Malacca and Singapore.

The Navy’s Western Fleet commander, Rear Adm. Widodo, said the perpetrators, who were residents of Terong island, Riau Islands province, had robbed three ships passing through the straits.

“We received information on sea piracy from the Information Fusion Center [IFC] of Singapore on Wednesday. We deployed a team to arrest the pirates,” Widodo said in a press conference on Saturday evening.

He said the team, which comprised intelligence and marine members of the Satriya Bhumi Yudha Battalion, Batam, arrested the suspects on Terong island.

He said the officers also confiscated 0.5 kilograms of marijuana, 104 small packages of marijuana and a package of crystal methamphetamine from the suspects.