quisquose Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 With revolutions in the Middle East and disaster in Japan, it seems like we haven't had a good ol' Somali pirate story in a while. Arrr, Jim lad. Well, it's certainly not because the problem is diminishing, far from it. I've just listened to an excellent Radio 4 documentary, the situation has become critical: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01095mf The recent murder of four innocent civilian hostages aboard their yacht 'Quest', the kidnapping of children aboard a Danish yacht, and the hi-jack of the giant oil tanker 'Irene' are game changers in the ever growing scandal of international piracy. Piracy Inc. is getting bigger, nastier and richer by the week - at the expense of the freedom of Western sea trade. The new sea gangsters now have some 20 mother ships, most driven by hostage slave crews operating with virtual impunity on sea lanes stretching from Africa to India. The recent escalation highlights the impotence of the West's navies in facing the threat. Paralysed by indecision, the British and their NATO allies have virtually no authority to disarm, attack or aggressively confront the enemy. Only India, Russia and South Korea have taken the law into their own hands and blasted the Somali pirates out of the water when and where they have caught up with them - but at a price. What the world sees is a half glamorous image of the Johnny Depps of Somalia. The reality is the new pirates are some 130 separate but highly organised gangs of ruthless operators who sometimes torture their hostages and are holding 760 seafarers, some of them going insane after nearly a year of captivity on filthy boats with minimal food and water. "We are talking about a new international criminal conspiracy", Joe Angelo, Managing Director of Intertanko. For BBC Radio 4 investigative reporter Tom Mangold, visits the front line and talks to the key people involved. Reporting from the Gulf from on board a British Royal Navy anti-piracy patrol and talking to victims, perpetrators and insiders about the ever darkening future for commercial shipping he asks what can be done about the gangsters who operate a $100 million dollar a year racket The programme will make you angry at our impotence in dealing with this problem. It's a political problem, not a military one, the Royal Navy Commander says about having to release the pirates they capture. There is also a hint that there is a racist element to our politicians/media approach to the problem because the vast majority of the victims are non-white, mainly Indian. Some things I was unaware of before listening: There are now so many hijacked ships that the pirates are offering ransom discounts to make room for new hijacked ships. 40% of the oil from the Middle East arrives in the West via tankers through these waters. Think about that as the seafarers consider striking over the West's failure to protect them. As the shipping companies and their insurers repeatedly take the easy option of negotiating, and paying the pirates, they are also inevitably funding terrorism, which is illegal. The situation is definitely getting nastier. A while back the pirates defended their actions. They became seafaring scallywags because of Somalia's unsustainable economy. In their interviews, Somali pirates tend to plead with the world for empathy: "If you were me, you'd be a pirate, too, ye lousy landlubber." They were just in it for the money, apparently. But now rape and torture is increasingly being used. Just recently it has been reported that a pirate has made an "offer" to a kidnapped Danish family: Let me marry your 13-year-old daughter, the rest of you can go free, and we might drop the demand for a $5 million ransom. Anyway, listen to the programme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scozzie Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I wouldn't say that nothing has been done about it. There are firms that have been commissioned to combat this since last year. As it is a competitive industry, I cannot say any more about it, but there are things being done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 British and other Western politicians need to grow a backbone and give their navies some proper authority to deal with the pirates. What's the point in capturing pirates, feeding them and giving them medical care, only to send them on their way in their boats? They should be arrested, their guns and boats sent to the bottom of the sea, and take the pirates to some court where they can be tried. Pirates that resist with RPGs and gun fire should be regarded as engaging in battle with our navies and blown out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 With revolutions in the Middle East and disaster in Japan, it seems like we haven't had a good ol' Somali pirate story in a while. Arrr, Jim lad. Oh yes we have! HMS Nursemaid: Shame as Navy seizes 17 armed Somalis, gives them halal meat and nicotine patches... then sets them free! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375884/Pampered-pirates-Royal-Navy-seizes-17-armed-Somalis-gives-halal-meat-nicotine-patches--sets-free.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upinwath Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I rather liked the Russian version. They also let the pirates go because international law made it hard work to keep them. They let them go in a rubber dingy without so much as a paddle and let the buggers sink. Seems fair to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 Oh yes we have! HMS Nursemaid: Shame as Navy seizes 17 armed Somalis, gives them halal meat and nicotine patches... then sets them free! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375884/Pampered-pirates-Royal-Navy-seizes-17-armed-Somalis-gives-halal-meat-nicotine-patches--sets-free.html Oh no we haven't! You've just provided a link to a "news" item about the Radio 4 documentary that I mention in the OP, which in turn mentions the old story about the release of the 15 pirates which is discussed in the programme. Your avatar is looking good today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Oh no we haven't! You've just provided a link to a "news" item about the Radio 4 documentary that I mention in the OP, which in turn mentions the old story about the release of the 15 pirates which is discussed in the programme. Your avatar is looking good today. No, the point is that I posted that link a couple of days ago, keep up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 No, the point is that I posted that link a couple of days ago, keep up! Well, provide a link and I will request a merge. But my point stands, the media has been pretty quiet on this despite things getting much worse. The programme makes some comments as to why we are ignoring the severity of the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 I wouldn't say that nothing has been done about it. There are firms that have been commissioned to combat this since last year. As it is a competitive industry, I cannot say any more about it, but there are things being done. Interesting, care to elaborate? There was no hint at any private sector solutions in the programme. Floating prisons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrod Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 If there was any fairness and justice in the world, these murderous low-lives would be devoid of any human rights and free game for any armed vessel that comes within firing range. That would be the only sort of deterrent that might have an effect on them, except perhaps for bombing their communities off the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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