Malaysia to allow armed guards
With Southeast Asia the worst region globally for piracy attacks last year, one new course of action taken by Malaysia is to permit armed guards to sail aboard commercial vessels deemed at risk.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) announced this new policy will be applied on a case-by-case basis. The decision was made in conjunction with the country’s National Security Council.
Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, director general of the MMEA, told Malaysian press recently that they would only place guards on vessels that have a possibility of being hijacked and it would not be a blanket approach.
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