45 officers from 17 Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Member States participated virtually in a capacity building virtual lecture on October 19.
The aim of the lecture was to provide a better understanding on the root causes of piracy, how to effectively address it and to enhance the capabilities of Focal Points (FPs)/ Contact Points (CP) (FPs/CP) in managing maritime crime. FPs/CP are the government agencies designated by ReCAAP Member States to be the primary points-of-contact for the ReCAAP information sharing network.
The lecturer, Professor Brandon Prins from the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, shared the key insights from his research activities on the main causes conducive to piracy and sea robbery. Professor Prins is co-author of the book titled “Pirate Lands: Governance and Maritime Piracy” and has written previously for Homeland Security Today.
The ReCAAP Contracting Parties that participated in this virtual lecture included Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. It was the second capacity building lecture hosted by ReCAAP this year. In the September lecture, participants discussed efforts to address armed robbery against ships in Singapore Strait and countermeasures to prevent piracy and armed robbery against ships. Experiences were shared by Germany, Japan and the U.S. Coast Guard.
