Somali Pirates get brazen!

Posted on April 21, 2009
Filed Under society |

I just read in the news that Somali pirates fired at cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden. The ships managed to out maneuver the pirates and get away unharmed. In the recent daring rescue of US Captain Richard Philips, the might of the US Navy played a vital role. But the pirates are holding over 300 hostage, many from poor countries whose governments do not have the resources of the technology to do what the US could do. The shipping companies cannot afford to pay the hefty ransom demands. What hopes could these hostages hold for their safe return?

Something needs to be done about the piracy situation. I don’t think it will be a simple solution because the country of Somalia is in an utter state of lawlessness. The piracy apparently started when Somali fishermen took up arms to defend their waters from illegal fishing and dumping by foreign fishing vessels. These days it’s so lucrative to be a pirate rather than a fisherman that most youth are automatically turning towards it. I also heard that the girls in Somalia consider the pirates as a prize catch when it comes to marriage.

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