Pirate raid strains ties with Jakarta

A raid on a coastal town by Indonesian pirates, who stormed through the streets firing automatic weapons before robbing two goldsmiths of jewellery, has jarred relations between the two countries.

It was the second assault in six weeks on the town, Semporna, which is at the southeastern corner of Sabah, the Malaysian state bordering Indonesian Kalimantan.

Describing the attack as vicious, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would not accuse anyone but hoped that neighbouring countries would co-operate in putting an end to the frequent coastal attacks.

It might be necessary to station more security personnel in Semporna, he said.

Police described the pirates as 'foreigners' in official statements but unofficially identified them as Indonesians.

The group, about 10 men in masks, were armed with rifles and a grenade launcher, which they used to attack a police station and marine police headquarters.

Two grenades were launched. One failed to explode, the other caused no serious damage.