The official launch in Singapore of the Information Sharing Centre (ISC) under the auspices of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) – claimed to be the world's first intergovernmental anti-piracy body – took place today but two key governments were noticeable by their lack of support.
Malaysia just sent an observer to the opening ceremony while Indonesia kept away completely.
The ReCAAP and ISC is aimed at improving networking, information sharing and capacity building among the ASEAN 10 countries plus China, South Korea, Japan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Today’s meeting was intended to work out exactly how the ISC work. However doubts remain as to how effective the new arrangements can be without the full support of Malaysia and Indonesia.