Chinag Mai, September 3:

Thailand today agreed to join Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in coordinated air patrols over the pirate-infested Straits of Malacca to quell foreign jitters over security in the strategic shipping lane. The three Southeast Asian countries last month announced an “Eyes in the Sky” initiative to counter the piracy which has plagued the straits for centuries. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, speaking at a joint press conference with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, said his country would participate in the initiative in order to bolster security in the region. Lee and four of his ministers held a joint cabinet meeting today with Thaksin’s government in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

“The Malacca Straits is not just a problem for the countries that are right there on the border. If we have problems at the Malacca Straits, it is bad for the whole of Southeast Asia,” Lee said. Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkon said that as a state bordering the straits, Thailand would be working closely with other nations, including sea and patrols.

The United States has previously proposed sending troops to protect the 900-km strait, which many fear could become a staging ground for intevnatmonal terrorists who might try to seize a ship, sail it into a harbor and set off a massive explosion. However, Malaysia and Indonesia have opposed the presence of US troops, preferring Southeast Asian nations to patrol the straits.