Far too soft on pirates
- Published: 27/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Less than six weeks ago, the Royal Thai Navy gave hope that the battle against the pirates in the northern Indian Ocean could be won. Two naval vessels sailed for the Gulf of Aden. Their crew of 351 sailors and 20 special warfare troops had the mission of joining the international effort against the pirates. On Christmas Day, no less, came word that 27 Thai seamen and their 20,377 tonne cargo ship had been successfully hijacked by pirates.
According to the European Union Naval Force for Somalia, which coordinates anti-piracy activities, the criminals now hold 25 vessels and 601 people hostage. The Socotra 1, a Yemeni owned ship with six crewmen, was hijacked on Dec 25 last year. During the past year, the Thai navy ships and numerous other warships from many other countries have recovered only a few pirated vessels. The pirates continue to win a lucrative battle in which they have gained millions in ransom while putting world shipping at high risk, and international security efforts to shame.
The pirates are mostly, if not all, from Somalia. The African nation is commonly described as lawless. More correctly, it is a gangster nation, with warlords in charge, and collecting tribute from the likes of the international pirates. The hijackings began against ships passing close to Somalia. Over the past several years, the criminals have ranged hundreds, even thousands, of miles from home. They are sustained by large ''mother ships'' in operations that have defied the governments along the ocean shores, and navies from Europe, the United States and Japan, among others.
The motor vessel Thor Nexus and its Thai crew put out from the United Arab Emirates last week, and was seized some 350 nautical miles off Oman _ well on the way to its next destination, Bangladesh. This shows how far the pirates range from their home country. It also explains why Iran announced recently that it intends to send its navy to fight the pirates in a separate action from the international task force.
Each time a vessel is hijacked, meaning about every two weeks of the past year, there is much hand-wringing and a distinct lack of meaningful action against the pirates. In truth, the criminal gangs are armed and dangerous, but few casualties have been reported, given the amount of crime involved. The pirates' single goal is to collect a ransom for the safe return of the hostages and their vessels. In most cases, this has been achieved. Even Thai fishing vessels have been victims of the racket.
Many believe that the way to stop the piracy is for Somalia to become a workable nation once again. After 19 years of bloody violence and a semi-invasion by the United States, that seems unlikely. The only viable way to stop the piracy is to make the pirates pay a heavy price for their crimes, and prevent more crime by fear of the penalty. The international police action by a coalition of navies including the Thai navy, has failed to achieve this goal. The four seized Thai vessels are a shame to so-called international law enforcement efforts. That the criminals hold 104 Thai citizens without retaliation is scandalous.
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