Oceans of crime : maritime piracy and transnational security in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh

Southeast Asia and Bangladesh are at present global hot spots of pirate attacks on merchant vessels and fishing boats. This book explains why, and in what form, piracy still exists. It offers an integrated analysis of the root causes of piracy, linking declining fish stocks, organized crime networks, radical politically motivated groups, the use of flags of convenience, the lack of state control over national territory, and the activities of private security companies, and identifies their wider security implications. CONTENTS 8 MAPS, TABLES, AND PHOTOS 12 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 18 INTRODUCTION 20 PART I Contemporary Piracy in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh 38 1 PIRATE ATTACKS ON MERCHANT VESSELS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND BANGLADESH, 1980–2006 40 2 PIRACY AND FISHERS Attacks on Small Craft in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh 74 PART II The Sea 116 3 THE FISHING INDUSTRY 118 4 MERCHANT SHIPPING 154 PART III The Dark Side 190 5 ORGANIZED CRIME 192 6 TERRORIST AND GUERRILLA MOVEMENTS 239 PART IV Counter-Forces 284 7 STATE RESPONSES TO PIRACY 286 8 PRIVATIZING THE FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY 340 CONCLUSION 378 APPENDIX 1 382 APPENDIX 2 385 BIBLIOGRAPHY 388 Index 426 978-981-4279-46-8