Success Only Can Give You Accolades Eh?

Following their earlier success with the rescue of our own MV Bunga Laurel from Somalian pirates, this time laurels of accolade are being thrown towards the crew of BM 5, even by the same people who says the mission is a waste of public funds previously and by those who said that PASKAL were a bunch of cowards for not playing an obvious in the rescue of MISC's two cargo vessels a couple of years ago.

But yet do these people realise that not only the navy but members of the other arms of our armed forces sacrifice and risk their lives on a daily basis, against potential threats and adversaries as aptly stated in this article by Malaysian defence blogger, Asian Security Observer. These are the people who always ask why we should have a standing force of armed forces by asking who are the enemies who want we want to fight with. I hope this can open their hypocritical eyes that threats to our nation are omnipresent, and these people on a daily basis are every ready to meet the threats with potent force.

The Star Graphics

So please realise your calls and your criticism against our defence spending is not helping and will only make them impotent rather than a potent force. So it is quite right that the Defence Ministry attempts to make hay while the sun shines by expanding the expansion of Somalian piracy theater of operations by introducing another vessel, as I have advocated before.

January 22, 2011 20:31 PM

Defence Ministry Ready To Add On Ship For Protection

LABIS, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The defence ministry is ready to provide another Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ship to protect Malaysian merchant ships from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

"We can add another ship, as long as the MISC (Malaysian International Shipping Corporation) agrees to bear its operating costs," the minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said this when met during the Tenang by-election nomination process here Saturday.

He was asked to comment on the navy's auxiliary ship, Bunga Mas 5 (TLDM BM 5) which rescued the MT Bunga Laurel from being hijacked by Somali pirates in the gulf on Thursday.

The success (of the rescue operation), he said, demonstrated the RMN's ability to protect merchant ships plying the gulf -- a notorious hunting ground of the dreaded Somali pirates.

The minister said he was inundated with calls from his foreign counterparts who congratulated Malaysia on its achievement and hoped RMN's operation in the Gulf of Aden continued in the future.

The incident occured about 300 nautical miles east of Oman at 11.40pm, two hours after Bunga Mas 5 had escorted the tanker and another MISC liquefied natural gas carrier, MT Seri Balhaf, to a safe zone in the gulf.

The Bunga Laurel is a chemical tanker hired by the MISC to ferry lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride from the Middle East to Singapore.

The navy's Fennec attack helicopter launched from the Bunga Mas 5 was also involved in the operation by providing reconaissance and aerial cover.

Three pirates sustained injuries in the incident and were treated onboard the Bunga Mas 5.

-- BERNAMA