Risk map highlights instability in Myanmar, Thailand and Philippines

European risk prevention and management provider GEOS has released its 2014 Security Risks Map, which outlines the world’s major areas of instability.

GEOS set up its country risk ratings according to a list of security risks faced by internationally operating companies in 2014. They include social climate, crime and terrorism, as well as domestic and regional politics.

The impacts of rebel movements in south-east Asia and other regional, ethnic, religious, criminal and terrorist group activities were all factors taken into consideration for the map.

Country risk ratings are assessed from 1 (low) to 5 (very high). The good news for the Asia-Pacific region is that there are no countries assessed as having a maximum risk rating of 5. Nevertheless, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea are rated at risk level 4, with both countries having additional ‘instability areas’ of concern. India, Myanmar and Thailand are other nations with their own separate instability areas marked on the map.

Most of the APAC region is given a 3 ‘sensible risk’ rating, while China and Vietnam come in at level 2, or ‘moderate risk’. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are all rated as level 1, which is low risk.

There was also particular attention paid to risks relating to piracy and maritime crime activities. A ‘maritime criminality’ area (delineated on the map by a dotted line) extends across the Asia Pacific region, from the east coast of India, past Indonesia, around Papua New Guinea, then north past the Philippines all the way to the coast of Vietnam.

‘Maritime piracy’ areas exist between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as between Indonesia and the Philippines, with a rise in maritime piracy being experienced in these waters.