Apart from booking them under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the police are also thinking of involving the NIA, considering the possibility of links between them and terror outfits
Considering the international ramifications of the case, the police have booked the 28 Somali pirates arrested last week under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Indian Coast Guard and the Navy handed them over to the Mumbai police on Thursday morning."We have registered an FIR against the arrested pirates and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA," said deputy commissioner of police (port zone) Quaisar Khalid.
The UAPA is usually evoked in terror-related cases. Apart from it, the police are also thinking of involving the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the probe, as the arrested pirates are from a different country.
Defence minister AK Antony had said some time ago that pirates operating in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) may be getting the help of some terrorist outfits active in Asia. The NIA is the only exclusive counter-terrorism agency in India, and so the police are considering involving the agency.
In a major operation, the navy and the coast guard had arrested 28 Somali pirates off the Lakshadweep coast last week. The forces had to hand them over to the city police to be tried under the Indian Penal Code because of a lack of anti-piracy laws in the country.
However, there seems to be hope for security agencies. "The anti-piracy law is already at the drafting stage," said inspector general of the coast guard SPS Basra, while addressing the media before handing over the pirates to the Yellow Gate police.
It is estimated that three piracy attack groups are still active close to the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Basra informed.
"A rise in instances of pirate attacks close to the Indian EEZ is a matter of great concern. Positions of the PAG are being monitored closely. Merchant vessels are regularly advised to keep clear of the affected areas and use the best management practices against pirate attacks."
Commodore G Ashok Kumar said, "We envisaged that 'Operation Island Watch', an anti-piracy operation launched in mid-December 2010, would last at most for a month. But the recent incidents have made it inevitable that the deadline be extended to March 31. Considering the success of this operation, it may be extended further."
Indian Navy sinks mother-ship of Somali pirates in Arabian Sea, 15 held
The Indian Navy ship INS Cankarso exchanged fire with a pirate vessel after two skiffs deployed from the ship were spotted on Friday morning near the Lakshadweep Isles. Fifteen pirates were taken into custody, and the ship recovered 20 fishermen of Thai and Myanmarese nationality, who were the original crew of the fishing vessel.
The skiffs were originally tracked by the coast guard and the Indian Naval Dornier aircraft, which retreated to the ‘mother pirate’ vessel Prantalay, which had been hijacked in April 2010.
The INS Cankarso (a recently commissioned water jet fast attack craft), which was already deployed in the area for anti-piracy patrol, was directed to intercept and investigate Prantalay.
The INS Cankarso initially fired a warning shot ahead of the bows of the pirate vessel to halt its progress on a westerly course. Instead of stopping, however, Prantalay opened fire on the naval ship. INS Cankarso returned limited fire in self-defence.
A fire broke out on the pirate vessel, after which several personnel were seen jumping overboard. The INS Cankarso was subsequently joined by INS Kalpeni and ICGS Sankalp. Naval and coast guard ships and aircraft are presently in the area searching for any other fishermen or pirates. This incident comes soon after a Bangladeshi-flagged merchant vessel was apprehended last month near Indian waters.
The Indian ambassador to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, had recently presented a five-point action plan to combat the menace of piracy to the Security Council of the United Nations. In addition to the anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008, the Indian Navy and the coast guard have been maintaining vigil west of the Lakshadweep Islands, and carrying out search operations for the past couple of months. This has kept international shipping lanes in this region safe from piracy attacks, with piracy incidents seeing a 75 percent decline since December 2010.
The south-eastern Arabian Sea is a focal point of international traffic, and the security of these sea lanes in the Arabian Sea is critical to the flow of global trade.
Somali pirates seize Mozambican fishing boat
Somali pirates have hijacked a Mozambican-flagged fishing vessel about 200 nautical miles (370km) southwest of Comoros in the Indian Ocean, the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said on Saturday.
The capture of the 140-tonne Vega 5 and its 14-strong crew of unknown nationalities is the second successful strike by pirates off the northern tip of Madagascar in a week.
Somali pirates usually operate further north in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia where a lack of central government and an Islamist insurgency has allowed piracy to flourish off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation's shores.
While the pirates frequently venture east around the Seychelles and towards the Maldives they are rarely active south of Tanzania.
"Since late December, Somali pirates have been focusing their activities around Tanzania, Comoros and Madagascar to avoid rougher seas further north," Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said.
A NATO counter-piracy website reported this week that the hijacked Taiwanese-owned fishing vessel FV Shiuh Fu No 1, seized on December 25, was operating as a pirate "mothership" in the same area off Madagascar.
Pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, despite efforts by foreign navies to clamp down on such attacks.
The capture of the 140-tonne Vega 5 and its 14-strong crew of unknown nationalities is the second successful strike by pirates off the northern tip of Madagascar in a week.
Somali pirates usually operate further north in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia where a lack of central government and an Islamist insurgency has allowed piracy to flourish off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation's shores.
While the pirates frequently venture east around the Seychelles and towards the Maldives they are rarely active south of Tanzania.
"Since late December, Somali pirates have been focusing their activities around Tanzania, Comoros and Madagascar to avoid rougher seas further north," Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said.
A NATO counter-piracy website reported this week that the hijacked Taiwanese-owned fishing vessel FV Shiuh Fu No 1, seized on December 25, was operating as a pirate "mothership" in the same area off Madagascar.
Pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, despite efforts by foreign navies to clamp down on such attacks.
Giant motherships give Somali pirates new reach: European Union
Somali pirates are increasingly using hijacked merchant vessels with hostage crews as giant motherships to attack deeper into the Indian Ocean, the European Union anti-piracy task force says.
Forcing the original crew to operate the ship at gunpoint, pirates can now launch attacks during stormy monsoon seasons, forcing up ransoms, security costs and shipping rates.
Until late last year, navies trying to secure regional sea lanes were facing some 500 young Somalis largely limited to skiffs and small boats powered by outboard motors and open to the elements. When naval officers referred to "motherships", they were simply referring to the largest small boat in a group.
Even then, the pirates were wreaking havoc, redrawing shipping routes, driving up insurance costs and holding dozens of vessels and hundreds of mariners for months at a time.
"The pirates are changing their modus operandi, taking ships which have been hijacked and sailing them back out into the Somali basin," said EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) spokesman Wing Commander Paddy O'Kennedy. "Their previous way of doing things was very dependent on the weather. Now they are using larger ships, the weather is having much less effect on their operations and they can travel further."
When EU aircraft overflew the vessels, officers at EU NAVFOR's headquarters at a British military base outside London say the pirates swiftly threatened by radio to kill the hostages or lined up prisoners on the deck with guns to their heads.
Grain and oil shippers said this month rising piracy might force them to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, potentially further pushing up global food and energy prices.
Somali pirates have now mounted attacks within 150 miles of South African and Pakistani waters and 250 miles of India. The level of force used is also rising, with one ship attacked with six rocket propelled grenades during a hijacking attempt.
EU and other commanders had expected a falloff of attacks in December and January as monsoon waves made it impossible to beach-launch small boats.
Instead, they found themselves facing what seemed like almost a coordinated surge of up to eight large hijacked ships, smaller skiffs ready on their decks ready for boarding parties with AK-47s, RPGs, ladders and grappling hooks.
The EU estimates two and eight such ships are now out in deep Indian Ocean waters at any one time, carrying 20-30 pirates as well as a similar number of hostages from the original crew.
Ships used to attack others included at one stage a 146 metre South Korean tanker -- since freed by South Korean commandos in an a rescue that killed eight pirates. Others include freighters and factory fishing vessels.
Other states including Malaysia and Russia were also using force to retake hijacked ships of their own nationality, they said. European forces have largely avoided trying to retake vessels. "We're always looking at the way we do business but the safety of the hostages is our primary concern," said O'Kennedy.
The EU force says the fact the number of actual hijackings has remained roughly constant despite rising pirate numbers is a sign of success. Naval patrols have made the key Gulf of Aden chokepoints safer, although the wider ocean remains dangerous.
With the payout for an individual pirate up to $50,000 for a successful hijacking, and the highest ransom to date for a cargo ship some $9 million, there is no shortage of young Somalis willing to take the risk and fuel the problem further.
O'Kennedy pointed to the widespread poverty and lawlessness in Somalia. "We are simply treating the symptoms of the situation onshore," he said.
Forcing the original crew to operate the ship at gunpoint, pirates can now launch attacks during stormy monsoon seasons, forcing up ransoms, security costs and shipping rates.
Until late last year, navies trying to secure regional sea lanes were facing some 500 young Somalis largely limited to skiffs and small boats powered by outboard motors and open to the elements. When naval officers referred to "motherships", they were simply referring to the largest small boat in a group.
Even then, the pirates were wreaking havoc, redrawing shipping routes, driving up insurance costs and holding dozens of vessels and hundreds of mariners for months at a time.
"The pirates are changing their modus operandi, taking ships which have been hijacked and sailing them back out into the Somali basin," said EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) spokesman Wing Commander Paddy O'Kennedy. "Their previous way of doing things was very dependent on the weather. Now they are using larger ships, the weather is having much less effect on their operations and they can travel further."
When EU aircraft overflew the vessels, officers at EU NAVFOR's headquarters at a British military base outside London say the pirates swiftly threatened by radio to kill the hostages or lined up prisoners on the deck with guns to their heads.
Grain and oil shippers said this month rising piracy might force them to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, potentially further pushing up global food and energy prices.
Somali pirates have now mounted attacks within 150 miles of South African and Pakistani waters and 250 miles of India. The level of force used is also rising, with one ship attacked with six rocket propelled grenades during a hijacking attempt.
EU and other commanders had expected a falloff of attacks in December and January as monsoon waves made it impossible to beach-launch small boats.
Instead, they found themselves facing what seemed like almost a coordinated surge of up to eight large hijacked ships, smaller skiffs ready on their decks ready for boarding parties with AK-47s, RPGs, ladders and grappling hooks.
The EU estimates two and eight such ships are now out in deep Indian Ocean waters at any one time, carrying 20-30 pirates as well as a similar number of hostages from the original crew.
Ships used to attack others included at one stage a 146 metre South Korean tanker -- since freed by South Korean commandos in an a rescue that killed eight pirates. Others include freighters and factory fishing vessels.
Other states including Malaysia and Russia were also using force to retake hijacked ships of their own nationality, they said. European forces have largely avoided trying to retake vessels. "We're always looking at the way we do business but the safety of the hostages is our primary concern," said O'Kennedy.
The EU force says the fact the number of actual hijackings has remained roughly constant despite rising pirate numbers is a sign of success. Naval patrols have made the key Gulf of Aden chokepoints safer, although the wider ocean remains dangerous.
With the payout for an individual pirate up to $50,000 for a successful hijacking, and the highest ransom to date for a cargo ship some $9 million, there is no shortage of young Somalis willing to take the risk and fuel the problem further.
O'Kennedy pointed to the widespread poverty and lawlessness in Somalia. "We are simply treating the symptoms of the situation onshore," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment