diff --git a/fine-icu4j/src/com/fr/third/ibm/icu/text/RuleBasedBreakIterator.java b/fine-icu4j/src/com/fr/third/ibm/icu/text/RuleBasedBreakIterator.java
index b202510ca..ce06a7f7f 100644
--- a/fine-icu4j/src/com/fr/third/ibm/icu/text/RuleBasedBreakIterator.java
+++ b/fine-icu4j/src/com/fr/third/ibm/icu/text/RuleBasedBreakIterator.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.text.CharacterIterator;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantReadWriteLock;
 
 import com.fr.third.ibm.icu.impl.CharacterIteration;
 import com.fr.third.ibm.icu.impl.ICUBinary;
@@ -43,8 +44,11 @@ public class RuleBasedBreakIterator extends BreakIterator {
      */
     private RuleBasedBreakIterator() {
         fDictionaryCharCount  = 0;
-        synchronized(gAllBreakEngines) {
+        try {
+            rLock.lock();
             fBreakEngines = new ArrayList<LanguageBreakEngine>(gAllBreakEngines);
+        } finally {
+            rLock.unlock();
         }
     }
 
@@ -131,8 +135,11 @@ public class RuleBasedBreakIterator extends BreakIterator {
         if (fText != null) {
             result.fText = (CharacterIterator)(fText.clone());
         }
-        synchronized (gAllBreakEngines)  {
+        try {
+            rLock.lock();
             result.fBreakEngines = new ArrayList<LanguageBreakEngine>(gAllBreakEngines);
+        } finally {
+            rLock.unlock();
         }
         result.fLookAheadMatches = new LookAheadResults();
         result.fBreakCache = result.new BreakCache(fBreakCache);
@@ -294,10 +301,19 @@ public class RuleBasedBreakIterator extends BreakIterator {
      */
     private static final List<LanguageBreakEngine> gAllBreakEngines;
 
+    private static final ReentrantReadWriteLock rwLock;
+
+    private static final ReentrantReadWriteLock.ReadLock rLock;
+
+    private static final ReentrantReadWriteLock.WriteLock wLock;
+
     static {
         gUnhandledBreakEngine = new UnhandledBreakEngine();
         gAllBreakEngines = new ArrayList<LanguageBreakEngine>();
         gAllBreakEngines.add(gUnhandledBreakEngine);
+        rwLock = new ReentrantReadWriteLock();
+        rLock = rwLock.readLock();
+        wLock = rwLock.writeLock();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -663,7 +679,8 @@ public class RuleBasedBreakIterator extends BreakIterator {
             }
         }
 
-        synchronized (gAllBreakEngines) {
+        try {
+            wLock.lock();
             // This break iterator's list of break engines didn't handle the character.
             // Check the global list, another break iterator may have instantiated the
             // desired engine.
@@ -717,7 +734,10 @@ public class RuleBasedBreakIterator extends BreakIterator {
                 fBreakEngines.add(eng);
             }
             return eng;
-        }   // end synchronized(gAllBreakEngines)
+            // end synchronized(gAllBreakEngines)
+        } finally {
+            wLock.unlock();
+        }
     }
 
     private static final int kMaxLookaheads = 8;