Somali pirates holding Japanese tanker demand $1 million ransom

[Robbien]

Source: AP

NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates who seized a Japanese tanker six weeks ago have threatened to kill the 22 crew members unless a $1 million ransom is paid, a maritime official said Monday.

The Golden Nori is carrying crew from the Philippines, South Korea and Myanmar.

. . .

Somali pirates are trained fighters, in some cases linked to powerful Somali clans, outfitted with sophisticated arms and equipment. They have seized merchant ships, ships carrying aid, and once even a cruise ship.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Now the weak transitional government and its Ethiopian allies are battling an Iraq-style Islamic insurgency. The chaos means that pirate ships can cruise the ragged coastline with relative impunity.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004063549_websomalipirates10.html

[boricua79]

1. this has gone on long enough...

it's time for a U.N. mandate to allow foreign navies to patrol these waters.

In fact, isn't there a Treaty of the Seas that permits navies to intervene against pirates. Since they belong to no national state, they're fair game for any Navy to sink.

Let's start by giving out a warning that any ship identified to be in collaboration or being used by pirates is to be sunk. And then, sink a few of the pirate ships.

The pirates will soon realize it is financially and physically counterproductive for them to go out on pirate missions. They will be either losing lives or resources in every failed excursion and be forced to curtail their trips. pirates are not immune to attrition or economic strangulation.

[greenvpi]

3. I'm not so sure

that attrition will work with desperate, hungry people. Attacking them for being hungry is the wrong thing to do. We should attack the real problem in that country rather than the symptoms.

[izquierdista]

4. The pirates are not the desperate hungry people

The people they shook down and robbed to get the money to buy their weapons, THOSE are the desperate, hungry people.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. A million dollars

doesn't sound like hunger to me, it sounds like pure, unadulterated greed.

[boricua79]

18. hungry people?

these guys are asking for 1 million dollars...and they routinely take over large ships. THey're threatening to kill them!

I'm sorry...no excuse.

[Yupster]

32. If you're interested in life in Somalia, please read

"Infidel"

It's a book by a woman who grew up in Somalia. A pretty amazing story.

[Robbien]

6. These pirates were not doing this before we invaded Somalia

when we gave funds to Ethiopia last December and told them to send in the death squads and go kill a bunch of Somalian Muslims.

Now that Somalia is under the thumb of Ethiopia death squads and is starving, being raped, being burned out and being killed, some Somalians are finding creative ways of surviving. Now that they are in a lawless land, lawless acts are on the table.

[Gman]

13. This has been going on for years now

Here's a map showing 5 attacks off Somalia in 2001.

http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracy_maps_2001.php

Here's a report from the Heritage Foundation (yeah, I know) from June 2000 that talks about piracy as a barrier to maritime trade and mentions, among other piracy areas, attacks off Somalia.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/BG1379.cfm?renderforprint=1

Somalia piracy was a growing problem before 2000 but has gotten really bad in the last few years.

[Robbien]

17. When the Islamic Courts took control a year ago last spring

the piracy stopped but started back up again when Ethiopia invaded last December. So for about nine months the seas were much safer. The Courts were pretty good at keeping the piracy down to almost none.

[boricua79]

19. that's fine

just like in a civilized society, you punish those that commit the crimes.

I'm willing to bet you wouldn't take such a relaxed point of view on the subject if it was a family member of yours that is being threatened with their death.

No sympathy for pirates. Sink them.

[Thothmes]

31. The U.S. Navy

has sunk at least one of the Somali pirate vessels

[slackmaster]

2. My brother is in the Navy - He's been involved in some of the anti-piracy action

It's been interesting watching what's going on from a semi-inside perspective.

Suffice it to say we of his family are glad he's not in Iraq.

[Captain Hilts]

9. It's a lawless stretch of sea but for the USN. nt

[slackmaster]

11. And the Brits and French

The patrols are multi-national.

[Captain Hilts]

12. They still are? Excellent! I think the Canadians might be there too. They were. nt

[cboy4]

5. What was the ship doing anchored in Somali waters?

I read one article that said non-warships are supposed to stay at least a few hundred miles away from the coast.

[Eugene]

8. The shipping lanes pass near the Somali coast.

The pirates, with the possible aid of a mother ship, can pursue
and attack ships as they pass.

[armodem08]

7. Hey, at least they still want dollars, right?

If pirates started asking for ransom in euros, then we'd really be screwed.

[Wcross]

23. LOL! Good point armodem08! n/t

[Javaman]

14. I'm actually surprised this type of thing hasn't happened sooner. nt

[Javaman]

15. A million bucks is a drop in the bucket. Consider this...

each tanker (a medium sized one) holds roughly 1.4 million barrels of oil. each barrel is valued in todays market at 88 bucks US.

88 times 1.4 = 123.2 million dollars. And that is unprocessed crude.

[nealmhughes]

16. By custom, any ship may engage any other engaged in piracy.

Merchant or warship.

Much like the slave trade was regarded in the 19th Century. Any vessel was considered fair game to any other vessel, their ship taken as bounty and restored to rightful owner at nearest neutral port or sold at auction if not seized.

It's time to return to the customary rights of all vessels to be secure throughout their travel: from port port and afloat.

[happyslug]

20. "transitional government and its Ethiopian allies are battling an Iraq-style Islamic insurgency"

Didn't Ethiopia INVADE Somalia to support this "Transitional Government" which has no support from the people of Somalia? Basically the "Insurgency" are people who oppose this invasion. This is like saying, "The Transitional Government of New York City and their British allies lead by General Howe and his Brother Admiral Howe against the radical insurgents led by George Washington"?

I know Washington was no Radical, but he did have Paine's "Common Sense" read to all of his Troops. The Colonials had removed ALL of the Royal Governors by April 1775 and were in control of what is now the East Coast of the US. By the end of 1776, the British had invaded New York City, imposed a new version of the previous Colonial Government. This action was lead by the Howe Brothers. As to "Common Sense" That was a radical document and George Washington having it read to his troops made them "Radicals" as that term is used today.

Did Washington have the troops to drive out the British in 1776, NO. Do the Insurgents in Somalia have the troops to drive out the Ethiopians today? No, but remember the revolutionary war lasted 7 years in actual Fighting, 9 years in duration (The last two years both sides stood down and negotiated). It is our second longest war (Second to Vietnam), but a war with support throughout its length (You did see a drop off in support after 1777, but support never dropped below 50% by most historians' calculations). The reason for the support was Britain was invading the US. We had been their Colony for almost 150 years, but during most of that time we had been on our own. Thus the relationship was more a strong alliance than Mother Country and Colony. When Britain wanted more control over American we refused, and they invaded (and we fought the invasion, with some Americans supporting the British, like some Somalians are supporting the Ethiopians and some Iraqis support the US invasion of Iraq, you always have such traitors in such invasions/occupations).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2402543

[Robbien]

25. Somalians retake their town but US headlines report this as a bad thing

In a Mogadishu suburb, Ethiopian troops were forced out by Somalian fighters and finally the residents were able to return to their homes after living in refuge areas for months while Ethiopian troops occupied their homes.
http://www.pr-inside.com/ethiopian-troops-withdraw-from-key-somali-r338443.htm

US headlines of course said the dirty nasty Islamists were spreading terror by fighting the US appointed temporary government and Ethiopian troops.

End result is that Somalians have their homes back and Somalian fighters are keeping the streets safe. But in the US eyes nothing could be worse than that.

[happyslug]

26. There probably were British Reports, about how bad it was....

There are probably were British Reports about how bad it was that Washington Troops drove from Trenton and Princeton in December 1776-January 1777, yet American Troops had to build their own houses at Morristown (Where the US Troops camped in till the Spring 1777) rather then the Cities of Trenton and Princeton where British (and Hessian) troops were barracks IN PEOPLE'S HOMES.

Spin is NOT new, Historians joke about the references in Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" to American which was published and re-published as the American Revolution went on. These references had to be re-written depending on how things were occurring.

[-..__...]

21. Thar be pirates in these har waters...

and they be seeking Davy Jones locker.

[bamacrat]

22. I wonder is that 1 million U.S. Dollars or some other more valuable currency?

Wow, pirates, still.

[Thothmes]

30. Believe the Japanese paid the ransom

[Turbineguy]

24. They're pirates.

It's OK to shoot them.

Even though it may be linked to Global warming.

[Eugene]

27. AP: Pirates release Japanese tanker

Source: Associated Press

updated 10:33 p.m. EST, Tue December 11, 2007

Pirates release Japanese tanker

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Pirates released a Japanese tanker
and its 22 crew members off the Somali coast Wednesday and
all the crew are unharmed, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

The 6,253-ton chemical tanker Golden Nori was seized off
Africa six weeks ago

The Golden Nori, carrying crew from Myanmar, the Philippines
and South Korea, was seized in late October off the east
coast of Somalia. One of the two South Korean crew members
escaped and was rescued by a passing vessel in early November.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East Africa
Seafarers' Assistance Program said Monday that the hostage
takers have demanded $1 million ransom and threatened to
kill all 22 crew if their demands were not met.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/11/japan.piracy.ap/index.html

[truthisfreedom]

28. Wow. Shades of Austin Powers.

I'm just sayin'.

[ohio2007]

29. Somali pirates free Japan tanker

Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 08:06 GMT
Piracy is a major problem for shipping off Somalia
A gang of Somali pirates has left a Japanese chemical tanker they hijacked six weeks ago, freeing its crew and ending a stand-off with US navy ships.
The pirates ended their occupation of the vessel just days after demanding a $1m (£500,000) ransom.

It is not known why the gang gave up the tanker, or whether the ransom demand was met.

The Golden Nori, which was carrying the highly flammable substance benzene, was hijacked in late October.

It had been sailing from Singapore to Israel when it was attacked.

Her distress calls were picked up by US warships patrolling off the coast of Somalia who fired on the pirates' speedboats, sinking two.


The warships followed the kidnapped chemical tanker into Somali coastal waters and trapped the Golden Nori close to the port of Bossaso, preventing supplies from getting to the ship.

The pirates issued their ransom demand earlier this week, threatening to kill the 23-man crew if their request was not met.

But the US Navy confirmed that the pirates had left the ship overnight.

"All the pirates are off the ship, and the first indication is that all crew members are unharmed," US Navy spokesman Lt John Gay said.

The crew was made up of sailors from Burma, Philippines and South Korea - and officials from those countries and Japan expressed relief that the crisis had come to an end.

Correspondents say Somali coastal waters are now considered to be among the most hazardous in the world. With no effective government, pirates are able to operate largely unchecked.

The US and French navies have been trying to tackle the problem by carrying out patrols.

Reports say this is the first time in nearly a year that no hijacked ships are being held by Somali pirates.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=844_1197510045