Maritime security in South Pacific

By David Raja Marpaung S.IP M.Def1

1
David Raja Marpaung. Associate Lecture University of Indonesia, also Indonesia Politic and
Defense Consultant. Email: davidrajamarpaung@gmail.com Phoe: +62 81219588360
Maritime security in South Pacific

1. Introduction

The South Pacific countries are geographically isolated and sparsely populated; they
cover more than 30 million square kilometres, but occupy less than two percent of that
area. Each of these countries has its own political, economic and social structures, often
incorporating different, languages, beliefs, values and practice, as well as different
levels of wealth and development. Twenty percent of the world’s languages and cultures
exist in the Pacific Islands, but only one per cent of the world’s population It is broadly
made up of the nations and territories which comprise the sub-regional groupings of
Melanesia, Polynesia and Australasia2.

South Pacific consists of 22 political entities of the Pacific Community with Australia and
New Zealand. They are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Island, Nauru, New
Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands,
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna3

South pacific also is very interesting region in the world. It consists of hundred islands
and few big powers present at there, such as USA, France, UK and others. To define
the south pacific region is to point the importance of political status in determining of
political stability. The external states guarantee the security and stability of their
territories and subsidy them generously. Here are the members of south pacific
community:

Table 1
Political Entities in South Pacific

Island Political Entities

American Samoa USA territory
Cook Islands Free association with NZ
Federates States of Micronesia Free association with USA
Fiji Independent
French Polynesia Overseas Territory of France
Guam USA Territory
Kiribati Independent
Marshall Islands Free association with USA
Nauru Independent
New Caledonia Overseas Territory of France
Niue Self Governing in Free association with NZ

2
AusAID 2004. Pacific Regional Aid Strategy 2004–2009.
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pdf/pacific_regional_strategy.pdf
3
Stewart Firth, Security and Stability in The South Pacific: Issues and Responses,
http://www.isis.org.my/files/apr/22nd%20APR/21%20James%20A.Veith.pdf
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth of the USA
Palau Free association with USA
Papua New Guinea Independent
Pitcairn Islands Dependency of the UK
Samoa Independent
Solomon Islands Independent
Tokelau Territory of NZ
Tonga Independent
Tuvalu Independent
Vanuatu Independent
Wallis and Futuna Overseas Territory of France
Australia Independent
New Zealand Independent

In other hand, Pacific island community shares a comprehensive view of maritime

security. This involves consideration of crime regulation and act, economic, resource
and environmental security. None of the Pacific Islands Countries face threats of a
military nature, although all are concerned with protecting their sovereignty and
sovereign rights.

As the Pacific Islands, sea or maritime territory becomes an important aspect. Because
sea is not only the tool to connect one island to the others, but sea also can give income
for the people around it. Maritime territory problem also can give impact toward national,
regional, and global territory. Maritime security in South Pacific will be good support for
Asia Pacific maritime security and beyond.

Till the beginning of the 90s, we were used to address maritime security, considering
the only military threat, and our vital interests and territorial integrity. But after the end of
Cold War, globalization has developed, as well as local crises. And globalization
brought the sea being the main way of exchanging goods throughout the world. Then
maritime security operations have developed in a way to mainly face non-military
threats.

A major concern for the Pacific Islands region is that organized criminals, under
increasing pressure elsewhere, may move their operations to regions where they
perceive a lack of deterrence capability. That happened in this region potentially
disturbing the region stability and even global stability.

Maritime security in South Pacific focuses on transnational crime such as

illegal movement of people and drug trafficking. Besides that, illegal fishing
also become common problem. Moreover, transnational crime is susceptible
to terrorist activities, so it needs attention too from international community.
In order to solve the maritime security problems in South Pacific, several big countries
get involved to give the contribution. US together with Australia, New Zealand, and
France help these island nations build their maritime security.

Picture I
South Pacific Area

2. Problems

Transnational crime generally refers to any crime that crosses international borders, for
example, through the occurrence of criminal activity in more than one jurisdiction or
because the proceeds of the crime have moved from one jurisdiction to another 4. South
Pacific is developing a comparative advantage in illegality, a largely man-made
endowment. It examines the evolution of illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and people-
smuggling and illegal migration in the region. Those transnational crimes are the threat
of maritime security in South Pacific.

As strategies are developed to counter the threat of transnational crime, it is imperative

that the fight be based not just on attacking the most visible manifestation of the
problem but the larger conditions which allow these groups to operate. This will require

4
H Morais, Fighting International Crime and its Financing: The Importance of Following a Coherent Global
Strategy based on the Rule of Law 50 Villanova Law Review, p 583-584
more attention to the problem of states with a weak rule of law, lack of harmonization in
regulation and the failure to have effective law enforcement cooperation across
borders5.

Base on these facts, there are a lot of threats in maritime security in South Pacific Area.
This paper will explore and analyze the effort and cooperation to counter transnational
crime in order to protect maritime security?

Rivalries between countries external to the South Pacific, however, on occasion do

intrude and can complicate domestic politics in some jurisdictions. The presence of big
powers in South Pacific also colouring the maritime security in region. How about the
influence of big powers in South Pacific area?

3. Framework

Security is one of the important issues in the world, because it needed for development.
Beside of that, security also becomes the right for human. There are several definitions
of security. One come from Arnold Wolfers who said security is any objective sense,
measures the absence of threats to acquire values, in a subjective sense, the absence
of fear that such values will be attacked.6

The traditional view identifies military security at the level of the state as being central to
security studies. It is a narrow conception which sees military conflict as the defining key
to security and it was common during the Cold War when issues of high politics
dominated national security agendas.7

The non-traditional view identifies a range of issues at various levels as being security
issues and therefore central to security studies. It is a wide conception which sees
issues such as the environment, the management of scarce resources, population
growth, disease, transnational organised crime and economic recession as security
issues. Originally, these issues were considered low politics, but they rose to
prominence on national security agendas during the 1980s and 1990s. 8 Because of the
wider field, security becomes more prominent issue.

To solve the security problem, need to understand the condition and the threat. Five
dimension analyze from Barry Buzan can be used in order to understand how does the
South Pacific solve their maritime security problems. Barry Buzan argues that the term
security consists of five dimensions:9

5
L Shelley, The Nexus of Organised International Criminals and Terrorism, http://americanuniversity.
com/academic.depts/acainst/transcrime/resources/publications/shelle51.pdf, accessed on 10 April 2008.
6
AA Bayu Perwita, Lecture handout of Security in Asia Pacific for ITB Defence Management
Postgraduate.
7
Tom Maley, Lecture handout of Terrorism for ITB Defence Management Postgraduate.
8
Ibid.
9
AA Bayu Perwita, op cit
  Military dimensions: involves the military capability/military build up of one state
both conventional and non-conventional, military ideology, personnel etc.
 Political dimensions: Involves the efforts to preserve political process, political
system, and state’s ideology.
 Economic dimension determines access to resources, market, finances and
provide the decisive basis for political influence and military power.
 Societal dimension including cultural values is less tangible but no less significant
for security. It provides the atmosphere in which the values will affect the
behavior of one state in the international system.
 Environmental dimension concerns the maintenance of the planetary biosphere
as the essential support system on which all other human enterprises demand.

To keep the existence of its nation state in the middle of threats, need to know well
about internal and external condition. Analyzing from those conditions will make easier
the arrangement of proper strategy for South Pacific. Internal and external conditions
could be analyzed by using SWOT.

SWOT technique was introduced for the first time by Albert Humphrey who leads
research project in Stanford University in 1960 and 1970. SWOT is an acronym for
strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. Strength is positive tangible and intangible
attributes which included internal factor. Weakness means factors that are within an
organization’s control that detract from its ability to attain the desired goal. Opportunity
is external attractive factors that represent the reason for an organization to exist and
develop. Threat is external factors, beyond an organization’s control, which could place
the organization mission or operation at risk. The organization may benefit by having
contingency plans to address them if they should occur.10

After make list of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat, need to make SWOT
matrix in order to know about the correct strategy that may to be taken. There are 4
alternatives of strategy as the result of the matrix. They are SO, WO, ST, and WT.11

SWOT Matrix Form

External Opportunity Threat
Internal
Strength SO Strategies ST Strategies
Weakness WO Strategies WT Strategies

SO strategy: This is a profitable situation because organization has opportunity and

strength to be maximized.
ST strategy: In this situation, organization faces several threats but it remains have
internal strength.

10
SWOT Analysis - Matrix, Tools Templates and Worksheets,
http://www.rapidbi.com/created/SWOTanalysis.html, diakses pada Senin 30 Maret 2009.
11
Rangkuti, Analisis SWOT Teknik Membedah Kasus Bisnis. Cet 12, Jakarta, 2005. Page 19
WO strategy: in this condition, organization facing big opportunity but also faces some
internal weakness.
WT strategies: this is a disadvantage situation because organization has several
internal threats and weakness.

Conflict of interest between states will be happen in multilateral cooperation, and

influence security condition. Each country is struggling to achieve their nation interest,
and try to dominate the other. Power Matrix analyse the capability of state or region to
defend against threat, and the level of external security threat. If the presence of
external threat relative high, but capacity to defend also high, then will create balance of
power. But, if the threat level is low, it will create hegemony cooperation.

Insecurity will be happen if capacity to defend is low, but the threat is high. The last,
isolated small state is happen when the capacity to defend and threat level is low.

4. Analysis

Political Dimension

Maritime security problem can threat politically. Internal violence happens in several
entities in South Pacific. If maritime security in unsecure condition, it makes weapon
smuggling massively. The illegal weapon can support the riot in one country. Directly or
indirectly, internal violence which happens in one country can give effect to the others. It
can increase conflict escalation, and further decrease national stability. For example
ethnic conflict which happened in late 1990s in Solomon Islands. The villagers on
Guadalcanal who felt they were not benefiting from the economic development of the
capital, Honiara, attacked and drove out several thousand people from the neighboring
island of Malaita over a period of months.12 It raises the tension in the regional level.

Traditionally, South Pacific has been considered a safe haven for cruising boats. In
recent years a number of incidents have been reported in the area. A small number of
these are pirate attacks, where one vessel hijacks another in high seas or coastal
waters, while the majority is robberies and armed robberies. If compared with other sub
region like South East Asia and South Asia, only small number incident which happen
on the sea territory of South Pacific. But it is still an issue in certain parts of the Asia
Pacific.

Pirates activity appears because lack of law enforcement. Corruptions in every level of
governments give impact and also become the impact of the piracy on the sea. And
corruption is a continuing problem, with political leaders often claiming traditional
leadership status should exempt them from normal rules on accepting gifts, distributing
government funds to their political supporters, or even facing scrutiny on these matters.

South Pacific also known as heaven for transnational crime because decreasing of drug
smuggling and arm smuggling. Drug smuggling is rise in Samoa massively. There is a
route of drug smuggling in South Pacific. Increasing transnational activities shows that
government has less attention to that issue. It contributes to political instability.

Economical Dimension

Most of countries in the South Pacific region are developing country. Only Australia and
New Zealand which categorized as developed countries. Island states are heavily aid
dependent. This creates issues with donor nations, such as Australia, New Zealand,
France, and USA. Besides bilateral aid, some multinational organizations such as
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Asia Development Bank (ADB),
International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (WB) also give some aid. Foreign
aid takes a part in the development process of South Pacific states.

Regional economic growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. Growth averaged 2.8
percent between 2005 and 2007. Opportunities to work abroad are unevenly spread
across the Pacific, but remittances have grown dramatically, with annual average
growth of 36 percent from 2000 to reach US$ 425 million in 2005. Most countries are
showing good macroeconomic management, but microeconomic performance is
mixed.13
12
Centre for Strategic Studies Victoria University of Wellington, “South Pacific Strategic Challenges”,
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/css/docs/Strategic_Briefing_Papers/Vol.1%20Dec%201999/Sth%20Pacific.pdf accessed on April 5, 2009.
13
Pacific Economy Survey; Connecting the Region,
http://www.pacificsurvey.org/UserFiles/file/Pacific%20Economic%20Survey08.pdf, accessed
on 4 April 2009.
The GDP increasing in the Pacific in the nineties was at around the rate of population
growth, which is 2 to 3 percent per year. After negligible growth in the early years of this
decade, growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. And growth averaged 2.8 percent
between 2005 and 2007.14 If compared with economic growth in Caribbean and Sub
Saharan, Pacific Islands still left behind by progress.

As the maritime region, fishing is an important activity to support life of Pacific people.
Fishing becomes a source of government revenue, employment, and export earnings.
Half of more than two millions of tuna are caught annually in Pacific tuna fisheries, with
a landed value in excess of US$ 3 billion.15 Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing is very serious issue. Actually there are no statistics on global IUU fishing in
South Pacific. But if it happens continuously, it must be make countries which depend
on fisheries, such as Kiribati, suffer financial loss.

Related with piracy on the sea, it is very bad for business. It gives unimportant added
cost for the shipping company, quay facility, producer, distributor, retailer, and
customer. Ships which face piracy will be have high cost insurance because the owners
loss their ship content because of piracy and should pay higher insurance cost.
Moreover the seller should compete with the pirate which sells goods in black market.
High cost economy because of piracy will be obstacle for investment. Unpredictable
situation make investor have no willingness to invest. It cause unstable economic
condition not only in one state, but also in regional level, and further in international
scope.

Social Dimension

Weapon smuggling which happen massively trigger increasing number of people who
keep and get access on the weapon. Weapon is not new one tool and the people who
use it are increase. The using of weapon can be social culture so it makes conflict
getting warm easily.

Social illness also rises because of drug smuggling. People can find prohibited drug
easily, so it dangers young generation. Beside of that the number of people with the
HIV/AIDS also potentially increases. The risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is higher for seafarers than for many other
community groups as a result of patterns of sexual behaviour common among
seafarers. When these seafarers return home, their wives and other sexual partners are
at high risk of also contracting STIs.16

Transnational crime in several forms is increase and spread in more political entities. It
means that criminal number also getting higher and often horrific. For instance, weapon
14
Ibid.
15
Ibid.
16
Regional Maritime Program of Secretariat of Pacific Community, Strategic Direction,
http://www.spc.int/maritime/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=34,
accessed on April 12, 2009.
smuggling is high in Papua New Guinea. It contributes the higher crime rates in that
country, mainly in urban area Port Moresby, Lea, Goroka, and Mount Hagen. Maritime
security problem will trigger regional and furthermore global social illness.

Environmental Dimension

Illegal fishing and pirate fishing as one form of maritime security problem usually catch
fishes without regard the rule and environment, shortly, they do destructive activities.
IUU fishing leaves communities without much needed food and income and the marine
environment smashed and empty. It is disturbingly easy to become a fishing pirate and
even easier to evade capture.

It is more than an issue of theft. Environmental destruction goes hand in hand with
pirate fishing. Because they operate, quite literally, off the radar of any enforcement, the
fishing techniques they use are destroying ocean life.

Sometime many ships use long lines baited with thousand hooks lined up in a row and
pulled behind the boat. Anything that sees the bait as food is caught. It can catch young
fish until big ocean creatures like shark and whale. It is a natural threat for national,
regional, and global scope. If this activity did not stop, the natural balancing will be
disturbed. Some ocean creatures will be disappearing.

Military Dimension

Traditionally, maritime security problem is viewed from military dimension. Maritime

threat usually will be countered by military. That is why maritime states try to strengthen
their naval forces through boat patrol. Beside of that, the South Pacific countries also
strengthen their intelligent military through joint with the Pacific Transnational Crime Co-
ordination Centre (PTCCC) and Trans Crime Unit (TCU).

Transnational crimes in all forms, piracy, and maritime terrorism are threats for military.
It is not only become threat and responsibility to overcome for one nation but also the
region and global actors. The build of military dimension may establish by 4 other
dimensions.

Economic
Dimension
 Social Political Military
Dimension Dimension Dimension

Environme
nt
Dimension

The five dimensions in related one to each others. If one dimension is threatened so the
other dimensions also disturbed. For example, political threat is linkage with the
economical threat. Political instability triggered economic instability. In other hand, to
build social stability need to stabilize the other dimension. Relations between the
dimensions will be rotate and influence one to each other.

SWOT Analysis

Strength
• South Pacific is rich of natural resources.

The region is dependent on primary resource extraction for economic development,

which are mining, farming, forestry and fishing. 60 Percents of inhabitant from Fiji, Cook
Island, Solomon Island, Tonga, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and Papua New Guinea
dependent their life to these sectors. In Papua New Guinea, gold and copper are the
main mining. Then nickel can be found in New Caledonia, Fiji, and Solomon Island.

The islanders also develop manufacture industry, mainly in Fiji, Papua New Guinea,
and New Caledonia. International trade also becomes the activity which can support the
national income. Most countries export their natural produce like gold, coffee, cocoa,
copper, oil palm, forest crop, and some products from coconut. The destination of the
export activities are European Union, USA, Japan, and Australia that give financial aid
for the islander as the mutual cooperation.17

• Comprises a lot of nation states

In South Pacific there are 22 political entities. Although most of them is small with rare
population, but South Pacific regions have important role. Each of South Pacific island
nations has a vote at the United Nations because they are members. So this region will
not be leaved by the other country in the different region.

17
Pacific Island Economies: Prospects for Development Pacific Island Economies: Prospects
for Development, attachment:/1/pacific-island-economies-prospects-development.htm,
accessed on 5 April 2009.
Weakness
• Destabilize political condition

Some countries in the South Pacific region have experience on destabilize political
condition. For mention is Fiji. It has military coup history. Ethnic conflict had happened
in Solomon. Then people in Tonga remain struggle for democracy. This condition
makes the region also instable in many aspects. It is worsening with the corruption in
the government.

• Very dependent to the other country

From the 22 political entities in the South Pacific only nine which are independent
states. Eight political entities are overseas territory of one kind or another belonging to
external states. Guam, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa are belonging to
the USA. New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis & Futuna are belonging to
French. Tokelau is belonging to New Zealand, and Pitcairn is belonging to UK. Palau,
The Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Island enjoy free association
status with USA. The Cook Island and Niue have free association status with New
Zealand. Developed country play important role in order to give subsidy and take care
the stability. It makes this region very dependent on developed country.

Opportunity
• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
EEZ increasing the ocean territory up to 200 nautical miles so enabling the South
Pacific countries can conduct ocean defence system as the protection layer. It makes
enemy ship difficult to attack until land territory.

Water territory can be used as the relationship tool with the other countries regionally or
internationally. It implicates toward a country to have role and influence in the
international relation. EEZ also give authority for absolute control or command of the
sea so the countries freedom to use the sea without intervention from another actor.

• Regional Cooperation
There are several regional organizations in South Pacific. There are eight primary
regional organizations, which are the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Forum Fisheries
Agency (FFA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the South Pacific
Regional Environment Program (SPREP), the South Pacific Applied Geosciences
Commission (SOPAC), the University of the Pacific (USP), the South Pacific Tourism
Organization (SPTO), and the Pacific Island Development Program (PIDP).

With that several cooperation, it facilitates them to solve their regional problems easier.
There are intense communications on the specific issue to overcome the maritime
problem. For example, Pacific Community and South Pacific Forum also give attention
to the maritime security problem. So regional cooperation which was built gives support
to each other in the real activity. This gives opportunity for them to manage maritime
security better.

Threat

• Drug trafficking, production, and use

The Pacific is no stranger to illicit drugs. The region has long been a transit point for
drug shipments destined for markets in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand. Examples include cocaine-stuffed Tongan yams bound for New Zealand, and
heroin-filled pineapple tins sent from Asia to the Cook Islands for reshipping. In 2004,
Islands Business reported that a ‘50 kilo packet of cocaine found floating in a Kiribati
lagoon was thought to be washing powder and used for laundry purposes at US$50,000
a kilo18.

What has changed is the size of drug shipments. In 2000, police seized 357 kg of heroin
from a Suva warehouse. At the time, it was the fifth-largest shipment ever found outside
heroin-producing countries. Until then, the head of the Fiji drug squad had never seen
heroin. Four years later, 120 kg of heroin was found buried on a beach in Vanuatu less
than half an hour from the capital, Port Vila—the biggest seizure in its history. This haul
was linked to Chinese nationals behind the 2000 bust in Fiji. Large shipments of
cocaine have also been seized in Tonga (2001) and Samoa (2006)19. Their very size
indicates they were destined for bigger markets such as Australia.

Pacific islands are used as a transit point between source countries—East Asia for ice
and heroin, and South America for cocaine—and markets in the United States, Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand. Routing drugs through the Pacific disguises the origin of
shipments. As shipping routes in other parts of the world come under increased
surveillance, the region also becomes a more attractive alternative route. Some five
thousand vessels cross the region on any given day. Large shipments can be
transferred from a mother ship into smaller boats that speed to isolated atolls to await
transit to the next destination20.

18
John Murray, The Minnows of Triton: Policing, Politics, Crime and Corruption in the South
Pacific Islands (Sydney: 2006), p 194
19
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Transnational Crime Strategic Assessment (April 2006),
5.
20
John McFarlane, ‘Transnational Crime and Asia-Pacific Security,’ in The Many Faces of
Asian Security, ed. Sheldon W. Simon (Lanham: Littlefield Publishers, 2001), p 200.
 Drug Trafficking Cases in South Pacific

• Illegal migration and people-smuggling

Criminal activities are linked. It is thought that Chinese gang members were sent to the
Pacific up to a decade ago, with islands such as Fiji and Tonga providing operational
bases from which to expand21.Gangs originally viewed the region as a back door to
American drug markets via Palau, Micronesia, and Guam in the north, and Fiji, Tonga,
and American Samoa in the south. (American Samoa and Guam are US territories with
easy access to the US mainland)22. Drug trafficking routes were then used for illegal
migration, so that Chinese organised crime island-hopped across the region. Some
illegal migrants work in black labour markets, mainly in prostitution and illegal gambling.
Others establish small businesses that often act as fronts for crime.

The illegal population in the South Pacific is conservatively estimated at twenty

thousand. Southern China is the main source of illegal migrants, with some seven
thousand arriving in Fiji between 2003 and 2005 alone, and ten thousand arriving in
Papua New Guinea since 2003. Many simply overstay student, visitor, or business visas
by disappearing into established networks. Others use false or altered passports and
visas to gain entry23. Some buy citizenship not long after arriving, by bribing officials to

21
Jim Rolfe, Oceania and Terrorism: Some Linkages with the Wider Region and the
Necessary Responses, Working Paper 19/04 (New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington,
Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 2004), p 7.
22
John Hill, ‘Transnational Crime Proves Problematic in Pacific Islands,’ p 8.
23
Michael Moriarty, Border Management in the Pacific Region, Pasifika Series Draft Paper
(New Zealand: Victoria University, Institute of Policy Studies, 2006), p 13.
overlook long-term residency requirements. They then pressure officials to admit more
migrants. Their ultimate destination is often Australia.
Illegal migration, including human trafficking, occurs in the Pacific as well as the use of
pleasure craft to circumvent border control. Instances of people smuggling in the region
have increased: it’s been estimated that the illegal migrant population in the region
(excluding Australia and NZ) was approximately 4,500 in 2003 and 9,000 in 2004. The
majority are Chinese nationals using states such as Palau and Fiji as transit points for
other destinations.

• IUU fishing
With the decline in fish stocks around the world, fisheries protection and law
enforcement have become major tasks for maritime security forces. For the PICs, it’s
the principal task for their small sea patrol forces. Illegal fishing is the main transnational
crime at sea in the region. Rather than the lack of a license to fish, illegal fishing in the
region is now more a matter of breaches of licensing agreements, such as the
unreported transfer of fish catch at sea and under-reported catches.

The economic loss to the PICs as a consequence of IUU fishing is estimated by the
FFA to be about $400 million per annum. There is evidence of a significant increase in
illegal fishing ranging throughout the central Pacific through French Polynesia, Cook
Islands and Kiribati. The majority of reports concern large purse seiners flagged to Latin
American countries. Some are licensed to fish in Kiribati’s EEZ. These vessels normally
operate in the eastern Pacific, but as fishing conditions for tuna in that region are now
depressed there, these vessels are moving west.

Foreign fishing vessels are becoming cleverer at avoiding arrest, and based on the
Australian experience, may also be becoming more prepared to use violence against
boarding parties. It’s very difficult to catch fishing vessels doing something illegal when
they get ‘smart’: using diversionary tactics, monitoring patrol boat movements and
listening in on patrol boat communications. Fishing licensing and enforcement is also a
major area of corruption in the region, with fisheries officers open to bribes for the issue
of licenses or to secure the release of arrested vessels

These are indiscriminate fishing methods that can have devastating impacts on marine
species and habitats.24 It puts unsustainable pressure on fish stocks, marine wildlife and
habitats, subverts labour standards and distorts markets. It may damage fragile marine
ecosystems and vulnerable species such as coral reefs, turtles and seabirds.

In the SWOT matrix, we give biggest score for strength and opportunity dimensions so
we establish SO strategy. It means that the organization has big opportunity to develop
and show its existence. In other hand the organization have internal strength which
potentially can support the opportunity.

24
Marine Stewardship Council, Environmental Impact, http://www.msc.org/healthy-
oceans/the-oceans-today/environmental-impact, accessed on April 13 2009.
This strategy can be established by regional organization. There are several regional
organizations in South Pacific; one of them is Pacific Community. In order to keep
maritime security, Pacific Community has regional maritime program. It is part of the
Marine Resources Division, which also includes the Coastal Fisheries Program and the
Oceanic Fisheries Program.

Pacific Community understands well about the importance of Pacific region, that is why
they give attention to the maritime security issue in South Pacific as the sub region of
Asia Pacific. Traditionally, Pacific water becomes an important way for trade and ship
traffic. As we know most international trade and commerce are conducted by sea and
most goods reach regional and national markets by sea transport.

Moreover most Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) rely on the sea for
sustenance fisheries, coastal transportation and employment in shipping or on fishing
vessels. Pacific Community has willingness to maximize the internal strength that they
have. Because they realize that in small or big number, maritime sector has give
economical contribution for the people and state.

In order to give contribution in the building of maritime security regime, Pacific

Community through Regional Maritime Program try to strengthen human resource
capacity, establish strong professional networks in the Pacific maritime sector, and gain
national, regional and international recognition of Pacific maritime needs and priorities.25

To minimize the threat of maritime security, there is other cooperation, which are:

1. PTCCC
The AFP has built a regional network, establishing Transnational Crime Units in
member states of the Pacific Islands Forum, coordinated since June 2004 by the Pacific
Transnational Crime Co-ordination Centre (PTCCC). The PTCCC was originally
located in Suva (Fiji) but moved to Apia (Samoa) in 2008, after the December 2006
military coup in Fiji led to deterioration in regional relations.26

The PTCCC provide a proactive transnational criminal intelligence capability to Pacific

Region Law Enforcement Agencies Management and coordination of intelligence
generated by TCU Unit To facilitate and enhance the exchange of law enforcement
intelligence throughout the Pacific Region Engagement with broader Pacific Law
Enforcement Agencies-Customs, and Immigration & Police.

PTCCC also provide capacity building and professional development for TCCC team
member Monitoring TCU Unit Response capacity to support TCU’s with additional staff.
The PTCCC will coordinate, facilitate and action requests for information from all Pacific
Region Law Enforcement Agencies;
Coordinate multi-agency regional intelligence collection and regional investigations

25
Regional Maritime Program of Secretariat of Pacific Community, Strategic Direction, op cit.
26
/www.globalcollab.org/Nautilus/australia/australia-in-pacific
/pacific-transnational-crime-coordination-centre, accessed on 10 April 2008.
2. FFA

The regional regime for the prevention of illegal fishing activities has in the past been
the responsibility of the Forum Fisheries Agency. The FFA has broadened its focus in
recent times and recognizes it has a wider role to play in maritime security and in
working with other agencies to provide maritime security in the region.

The vessel monitoring system (VMS) established by the FFA is an important capability
for regional maritime security. Licensed fishing vessels are fitted with an Automatic
Location Communicator (ALC), which sends a signal (via satellite) to FFA. Any foreign
fishing vessel that wishes to apply for a licence to fish in waters of an FFA member
country must first be registered on the VMS Register of Foreign Fishing Vessels
maintained by the FFA. VMS data belongs to the individual PIC, but sharing data is now
becoming common. The US and France have been seeking data access arrangements.
So far the distant water fishing nations have not expressed concern about VMS data
being used for wider security purposes.

3. Vehicle Support under the South Pacific Forum

The Pacific Island countries response capability is mainly provided by the patrol boats
supplied by Australia. Twenty-two boats have now been donated by Australia to twelve
recipient countries. These vessels have a length of 31.5 metres, a top speed of 21
knots, and a range of 2,500 miles (at 12 knots and nil fuel remaining) and a complement
of 17.
The project involves not just the boats, but training for the crews, naval advisers posted
to each recipient country, and through-life logistic and technical support through the
Follow-On Support Agency. The naval advisers usually comprise one officer with patrol
boat experience as Maritime Surveillance Adviser, and one or two senior sailors with
marine engineering or electrical specialisations as Technical Advisers. The provision of
these in-country advisers has brought extra benefits to Australia with regard to their
influence at the local level. For most countries, Australia provides additional funds to
cover some of the costs of operating.

7. Involvement of other countries

United States

The United States is a key stakeholder in maritime security in the Pacific through the
Territory of Guam, its Territory of American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas and its Compacts of Free Association with the former US Trust
Territories of Micronesia: Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the
Marshall Islands. The existing Compacts of Free Association between the US and the
Micronesian countries cover defence and foreign policy but are worded in pre 9/11
terminology and do not reflect current security concerns and broader homeland security
considerations. After some years of relatively low involvement in maritime security for
the PICs, the US has recently increased its level of assistance.
The US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG) have provided assistance with air
surveillance and occasional visits by USCG cutters have provided the opportunity for
training assistance to local maritime security forces. There has been a much higher rate
of effort from the USCG over the past year in Micronesia with cutters in the region
embarking authorised fisheries offices from Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands and Kiribati
and with more aerial surveillance27.

The Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West), based in Hawaii, plays an
important role in fostering intelligence collection special report and maritime security
cooperation in the Pacific. While its primary role is countering drug-related transnational
threats, JIAFT West is closely aligned with US Pacific Command’s Theater Security
Cooperation, War on Terrorism, and Maritime Security priorities in planning, developing
and implementing counter-drug programs in Asia and the Pacific. It provides US and
foreign law enforcement with fused inter-agency information and intelligence analysis,
and with counter-drug training and infrastructure development support. The JIATF West
staff comprises members of all five military services, as well as representatives from the
national intelligence community and US federal law enforcement agencies. The AFP
works closely with the JIATF West both directly and through the PTCN.

France
France has the overseas collectivises of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis
and Futuna. The French Navy provides some air surveillance support, especially to
Vanuatu and in the southern Solomon, around French Polynesia and a small effort in
the Cook Islands. The French navy has a couple of deployments each year from their
tier two ships staying within a 1500NM radius (approx) of their operating bases. They
also have some larger frigates that deploy into Asia, that spend some time working with
the PICs.

French are keen to participate more actively in maritime surveillance, but they have no
deployed liaison officers. Trying to engage within the Pacific from offices in New
Caledonia or Tahiti has sometimes proved difficult. The only operational link they have
in the region is one to one with FFA’s surveillance operations officer. Every few years
the French run an exercise that has amphibious and airborne elements that some PICs
attend. There is no ‘working level’ plan integrating French, Australian and New Zealand
surveillance efforts.

China
China is becoming much more actively involved in the PICs, particularly in the two
largest regional countries, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. It has wiped out all PIC debt of
about US$700 million over three years and built facilities in Tonga for the Forum
Leaders’ meeting in October 2007. While much of this activity is ‘cheque book’
diplomacy to counter Taiwanese influence, China does have growing commercial
interests in the region, particularly in the fishing industry. China is a contributor to the
WCPFC. Their only blue water naval engagement in the region seems to be national

27
Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Australia and South Pacific. (March, 2008) p 55
defence-related such as the deployment of a satellite-tracking ship to Fiji and down-
range of US facilities.

Japan
Japan is one country with a major stake in the region but so far has not been involved in
cooperative arrangements to any great extent despite having significant skills and
resources to assist in capacity building for regional maritime security. Largely through
the Japan Coast Guard, Japan has been very active in Southeast Asia in assisting to
build the capacity of countries in that region to deal with piracy and the threat of
maritime terrorism. It may be possible to get Japan involved in a similar way in the
Pacific islands region.

Taiwan
Taiwan has diplomatic relations with Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon
Islands and Tuvalu. Taiwan holds regular regional naval visits to those recognizing it
(two frigate/destroyer size vessels and one replenishment vessel). They have had
coastguard-type vessels apparently on patrol from time to time in the EEZs of some of
the Micronesian states. In recent times there has Australia and the South Pacific: Rising
to the challenge been various Taiwanese efforts to try to link themselves to the

Australian PPB project, through funding maintenance activities such as slipping,

infrastructure development, and maritime law enforcement training. This might
precipitate a significantly negative and tangible response from China concerned about
the establishment of Taiwanese naval relations with the South Pacific. This would raise
the prospects of blue water competition in the region, a competition Taiwan will
inevitably lose and which will not leave the region safer.

9. Analysis Relation between Countries

Australia and New Zealand play the main role in south pacific multilateral cooperation.
They have the biggest GDP than others, and give support to another countries
cooperation, such as PTCCC that initiated by them. So, at intra south pacific
cooperation that created hegemony by Australia to other countries.

But when we looking the presence of big powers in SP, the relation tend to balance of
power. However, big countries such as France, USA have long colonial history at the
region. But the SP right now also trying to independent, and strengthening their
regional cooperation.

However when we look the relation of each countries in the pacific island they very
dependent. Because of them can be surviving by depending from aid of super power
such as American Samoa, Marshall Island, Palau and others. The relation become
small states dominated by big powers, and created insecurity or vulnerability. Because
the small countries may collapse if big power stopping their aid
10. Recommendation

PTCCC should broadening its function, not just as sharing in information and
intelligence, but also regional act and arrest right.

South Pacific Countries should establish strong regional coordination on maritime

security issue in order to collect, fuse and analyze all sources of data; manage and
schedule regional air and surface assets; receive bids for surveillance time from
regional countries; provide recommendations for action to individual countries;
coordinate response from regional or national assets; coordinate funding from aid
donors plus national contributions; and liaise with national ‘points of contact’. To
manage maritime security, South Pacific need to maximize the role all of regional
organization.

Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPVs) need to be operated by the PICs at a national level in
order to decrease dependency to the super power countries.

Australia should consider giving more support through AusAID to support development
of maritime security system in South Pacific region.

There should be more balances of power in south pacific area, so the capability of each
country to counter threat or transnational crime becomes better.
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