HONOLULU -- An almost unnoticed battle against piracy in the South China Sea has become more intense, with the pirates winning and governments in Southeast Asia fearing they will be joined by terrorists in an attempt to disrupt trade throughout Asia.
"The essential nature of the threat has changed," Capt. Pottengal Mukudan of the International Maritime Bureau said in a statement last week. "Risk and potential targets used to be assessed on the basis of the intrinsic value of cargoes and the ships carrying them.
"That no longer applies. The main focus now has to be the strategic intentions of terrorist groups. Those responsible for security of ports and ships have to put themselves in the minds of terrorists and ask: 'How attractive a target do we present in terms of terrorist objectives?' "