Southeast Asia and Bangladesh are at present global hot spots of pirate attacks on merchant vessels and fishing boats. This book explains why, and in what form, piracy still exists. It offers an integrated analysis of the root causes of piracy, linking declining fish stocks, organized crime networks, radical politically motivated groups, the use of flags of convenience, the lack of state control over national territory, and the activities of private security companies, and identifies their wider security implications.

Includes maps of: East and Southeast Asia; Ports and Indicative Shipping Routes in the Malacca Strait; Bangladesh; Malacca Strait; Southern Philippines; Riau Archipelago; Route of Hijacked MT Selayang; Maritime Zones in the Malacca Strait (as Claimed); Maritime Zones in the Malacca Strait (in Accordance with International Law). Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University.

Introduction: A brief overview of piracy in Southeast Asia -- Contemporary maritime piracy - a chimera? -- The significance of piracy: the objectives and structure of this study -- Part I: Contemporary piracy in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh -- Pirate attacks on merchant vessels in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh, 1980-2006 -- Piracy and fishers: attacks on small craft in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh -- Part II: The sea -- The fishing industry -- Merchant shipping -- Part III: The dark side -- Organized crime -- Terrorist and guerrilla movements -- Part IV: Counter-forces -- State responses to piracy -- Privatizing the fight against piracy -- Conclusion.