Japan's coast guard will link up with Malaysia and Thailand to hold anti-piracy exercises in a bid to bolster cooperation against sea attacks. The series of exercises will take place off the resort islands of Phuket in Thailand and Langkawi in northern Malaysia beginning Jan 30. Authorities in some Asian countries have stepped up anti-piracy cooperation in recent years, in part because of concerns over possible terror strikes, especially along the Strait of Malacca, through which half the world's oil and more than a third of its commerce passes.
AP
AP