SINGAPORE, Dhu-AlQa'dah 11, 1436, Aug 26, 2015, SPA -- Malaysia and Indonesia are deploying rapid reaction teams to combat a soaring number of attacks on merchant vessels in one of the world's busiest shipping chokepoints, Reuters cited a Malaysian admiral as saying. Over 70 ships have been attacked in the Malacca and Singapore straits, on the western side of the Malay Peninsula, this year, the highest number since at least 2008, including at least seven at the end of last week, according to security and anti-piracy groups. The Malaysian and Indonesian navies are forming a similar rapid reaction force in the area, Zulkifili added. --SPA 12:46 LOCAL TIME 09:46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w