Malaysia's new coast guard to patrol Malacca Strait

Noted here:

A new Malaysian coast guard with 72 vessels will begin patrolling the piracy-plagued Malacca Strait next month, the government said Monday.

More than 4,000 personnel will eventually be trained to work for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which will begin surveillance on Nov. 30 along the busy shipping lane between peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

Malaysia currently has no separate coast guard agency, and the 72 vessels will be transferred from the military and police, the national news agency Bernama quoted Najib as saying.