Indian Navy and International Anti-Piracy Ops

[ManishH]

I know there are exceptions, but Somali gangs generally aren't amenable to hostage exchange - they even shoot each other over distribution of ransom. Whereas Taliban being ideological will exchange esp high value leadership.

Sadly, even Somali pirates know that GoI policy on hostages (Rubeena/Kandahar/RV Krishna &c) is to do what appears to be the "humanitarian" thing, but keeps risking lives of Indians for years to come.

[Don]

maybe going in their in a old fashioned way and killing everyone in a couple of coastal pirate towns is only way to send a message? or drone target the high end cars moving in that region and seaside manstions which would surely be pirate lords.

I don't think there is an easy answer here. Escalating the situation could make things even worse. For example, The pirates could decide to execute Indian nationalities every time they succesfully hijack a ship or hold every Indian as hostages and make them as an example. I think the international community must get together and get really tough on these guys. Even striking them inside Somalia but it must be an international commitment.

[Brando]

There is no alternative but to escalate the situation. Compared to the US or the European nations, the presences of Somali pirates is a direct national security risk to the Republic of India. The entire Western Seaboard of India could become infested by pirates causing serious damage to our economy and our energy supplies. We need to consider ALL options when dealing with the Somali problem. Also, its not like the Somalis haven't killed hostages before, they've killed numerous unarmed civilians in cold blood and it is time the International community stops pussyfooting about doing what needs to be done. It is in India's interest to champion a much harder line against piracy and now is the time that they should be going after such a cause being in the UNSC.

At the heart of the situation is a simple risk/reward calculation that has to change. Today, the rewards of piracy FAR FAR outweigh the risk associated with it. There is an organized structure of "pirate financiers", "pirate negotiators", "pirate suppliers" and all the businesses that flourish off the ransom money paid, like cars, houses etc. An entire economy is running on this illegal and dangerous activity that needs to be stopped. And it should be India that leads the charge because as this lifestyle becomes more entrenched, it will be harder to eradicate it and India will the one who will have to suffer the most from its continued operation.

During the "original" days of Piracy, one method that was used to deal with pirates was to hire other pirate to track down pirates and kill them. India should explore this option since pirates only seem to care about the money and so far don't seem to follow any ideological cause. Also, a specialized task force to combat piracy should be started by the Indian navy with sufficient resources so that they can hunt the pirates and those that profit from piracy in "Somalia" rather than responding to freighters in distress and filling Indian jails with these Somali trash. India also has the option of hiring foreign Private military contractors to "take care" of these pirates in a pro-active way so that is will not make India directly culpable yet get rid of the menace by all means necessary. Another radical option would be to mine the entire Somali coast to prevent any large ships from docking there and to cut off Somalia from the Indian ocean itself. Small boats could possibly break such a minefield however, without a port to bring back their hijacked ships and crew, piracy would be very hard to carry out with any real intensity.

The only way to end this piracy is by going after the pirates before they even get out to sea, to hit them in their homes and to hit their financiers in their homes.

[sudeepj]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_re_af/piracy

Somali pirates keep Indian hostages after ransom


By ABDI GULED and KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Abdi Guled And Katharine Houreld, Associated Press – 44 mins ago

MOGADISHU, Somalia – In a move that could change the pirate-hostage equation, Somali pirates on Friday took in a multimillion dollar ransom, then released the ship and some of the crew but kept all the Indian crew members as hostages.

A pirate told The Associated Press the Indian crew members' hostage ordeal is being prolonged in retaliation for the arrests of more than 100 Somali pirates by the Indian Navy.

"We decided to keep the Indian because India is holding our colleagues," the pirate, Hassan Farah, said. "We released the other crew members who sailed away from our coast. We will keep these Indians until the Indians release our colleagues."

Farah said the pirates in the stronghold of Haradhere have taken that collective decision. The Indian hostages are to be moved to land.

Piracy has long plagued the shipping industry off East Africa, but violence has escalated in recent months. Pirates held some 30 ships and more than 600 hostages

Here is the issue at hand.
1. A large fraction of the worlds merchant navy is run by Indian sailors. (just as a large fraction of the IT workforce of the world is Indian). Every other ship the pirates capture may have Indians on it.
2. The Pirates are getting more and more bold. I was talking to a friend in the merchant navy, a few years ago and the news of Somali pirates capturing a ship 200 knots off the Somali coast. A shadow crossed his face, as he said - 200 miles is a long way to operate from the coast. Since then, the pirates have started operating as far away as the farthest Lakshadweep Islands. There was a time, when the pirates could only capture ships with low deck level above the water, that were slow and could not outrun them. I believe this has changed, and larger, faster ships are now vulnerable.

This is a difficult situation, and I dont see any easy solutions..

[Brando]

In the larger picture it would be safer to sacrifice a few Indians today, so that this kind of tactic doesn't become common place in the future. The audacity of asking of an "Echange" is absolutely shocking considering that the Somalis are engaging in a criminal activity. One thing is for sure, should the Indian government give in, India would become a push-over that even Somalis don't respect.

We should execute one Somali in our possession every day these pirates keep Indian sailors captive henceforth. At worst, this would mean all the Indian sailors in their possession would die but it would make any such future tactic prove worthless. It's better to loose 10 or 15 Indian sailors today than potentially release 100s of Somalis who would go on to kill 100s of Indian sailors, this capitulation making them bolder and more violent.

Unfortunately, since India has signed the CWC and got rid of all its Chemical weapons, we can't treat these pests like they deserve to be with VX and Sarin. Far less risky that using MACOs.

[SSridhar]

This situation cannot be handled by India alone. It needs international cooperation. India has helped many ships of many countries in distress. It will continue to do so in the future. We expect other countries to come to our assistance too. The UN is contemplating a court to try these Somali pirates. This process must be expedited so that the captured pirates are handed over to the UN body immediately for prosecution.

The time has also come for an international coalition of forces to go into Somalia and smash the strongholds of these pirates and release all hijacked ships and the crew. The Somali government is helpless. The strong naval & special forces of an international alliance under UN sanctions must be setup to tackle these thugs.

In this case, it was a Mumbai-based company which owned the hijacked ship. It paid the ransom and yet could not get the Indian sailors freed ? There is something wrong in negotiation tactics here.

[atreya]

In the larger picture it would be safer to sacrifice a few Indians today, so that this kind of tactic doesn't become common place in the future. The audacity of asking of an "Echange" is absolutely shocking considering that the Somalis are engaging in a criminal activity. One thing is for sure, should the Indian government give in, India would become a push-over that even Somalis don't respect.

We should execute one Somali in our possession every day these pirates keep Indian sailors captive henceforth. At worst, this would mean all the Indian sailors in their possession would die but it would make any such future tactic prove worthless. It's better to loose 10 or 15 Indian sailors today than potentially release 100s of Somalis who would go on to kill 100s of Indian sailors, this capitulation making them bolder and more violent.

Unfortunately, since India has signed the CWC and got rid of all its Chemical weapons, we can't treat these pests like they deserve to be with VX and Sarin. Far less risky that using MACOs.

You speak with such ease. "Sacrifice them for the future". I wish you would go and say this to their families. When it comes to blood relations, nobody gives a damn to the future scenarios. My own brother is in merchant navy, he has sails in these waters and he has told me about the sheer terror that grips the crew as they pass by this zone. He once even spotted a suspicious boat, though there was no pursuit.
It is very easy to say that they should be sacrificed, sitting far away from the whole thing, with no concern whatsoever for the captives or their families. Would you go and console those families, Brando?

[Gaur]

In the larger picture it would be safer to sacrifice a few Indians today, so that this kind of tactic doesn't become common place in the future. The audacity of asking of an "Echange" is absolutely shocking considering that the Somalis are engaging in a criminal activity. One thing is for sure, should the Indian government give in, India would become a push-over that even Somalis don't respect.

We should execute one Somali in our possession every day these pirates keep Indian sailors captive henceforth. At worst, this would mean all the Indian sailors in their possession would die but it would make any such future tactic prove worthless. It's better to loose 10 or 15 Indian sailors today than potentially release 100s of Somalis who would go on to kill 100s of Indian sailors, this capitulation making them bolder and more violent.

Unfortunately, since India has signed the CWC and got rid of all its Chemical weapons, we can't treat these pests like they deserve to be with VX and Sarin. Far less risky that using MACOs.

Why are you so enthusiastic to kill "10 or 15 Indians today"? You do not even bother thinking about other alternatives (including hostage rescue). You do not even have the decency to pretend like "killing 10 or 15 Indians today" is something that you consider a last resort. Intentionally or not, you give the impression that "sacrifice a few Indians today" is the first and best option at hand (at least to you).

And what is that about executing one Somali every day? Who do you think we are? TSPA?
If you want to prove to the whole world that we are savages and no better than terrorists and Pirates that attack us, your suggestion is ideal.

Needless to say, I find your comments as highly insensitive and in very poor taste.

[Arya Sumantra]

It would have been much better if the pirates caught were left without fuel and comms in their boats. If they reached their shores somehow then good for them. The risk would be their punishment.
In their current punishment do we really believe our ships are going to drop them back in Somalia once they have done serving their jail terms ? So why bring them here?

With regards to exchange of hostages, i think our folks perhaps still do not know for example, how to use arsenic for a delayed effect on prisoners to be released in exchange. That's why every time we are faced with having to release prized catch or prisoners caught in exchange for hijacked planes or ships we are caught fumbling.

[Singha]

methinks changing the international sea law to allow merchant ships to hire armed guards for full time duty is best . mostly they will be ex service types.
from vantage point of ship, a reasonably trained group of say 5 people should be able to spray their long speedboats with gunfire and hopefully kill most of the pirates right there.

once a couple of 100 pirates are killed in a month of hard fighting, word will spread on jungle telegraph that risk is too high, and people will turn to other profitable occupations there like drug smuggling, organ stealing or whatever are the 'growth sectors' in somalia.

secondly, a covert mossad style humint assets have to go in and id the luxurious mansions and industries owned by the pirate lords at top of food chain. the guys who run the operations and strategy units, who move the millions of $$ got in ransom, who handle finances.....these people need to be taken out with car bombs, silenced pistols , AASM or whatever means are necessary by international coalition with a UN rubberstamp. a far more worthy cause than libya windmills.

at present they are operating like mujahideen in afghanistan or jihadis in India - we can catch the culprits but their rear areas are totally safe in pakistan. set fire to their pakistan and they can be kept on the run.

[UBanerjee]

methinks changing the international sea law to allow merchant ships to hire armed guards for full time duty is best . mostly they will be ex service types.
from vantage point of ship, a reasonably trained group of say 5 people should be able to spray their long speedboats with gunfire and hopefully kill most of the pirates right there.

Too expensive to see broad use, it's been considered. It doesn't really solve the problem in any case.

[shiv]

I think a couple of Maritime Jags escorted by MKIs need to go and shoot up some boats and huts in some village saying that there is "credible evidence" that Steve Mogambo, Pirate in Chief was there (along with nuclear bomb material from Iraq). And the next time the navy enncounters pirates. Sink them Plain and simple.

If that doesn't solve anything at least it will escalate it - which would be good in the long term.

[Brando]

It is very easy to say that they should be sacrificed, sitting far away from the whole thing, with no concern whatsoever for the captives or their families. Would you go and console those families, Brando?

This is not the first time nor will it be the last when Indians are held hostage by terrorists/pirates/criminals/take your pick for some demand or the other. If India is to capitulate every time some idiot makes threats, India will become Asia's little "pushover". The axiom of realpolitik is the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Presently what are the alternatives ? Send in a rescue mission ? So far most rescue missions into Somalia have been utter disasters, even the recent Dutch attempt was a failure. There is a good reason nobody wants to send forces into Somalia! Moreover the likelihood that these sailors will be killed no matter what is a very real possibility. The focus should be on how to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future, using civilians as hostages to barter with an entire nation. In that respect, sacrificing these Indians now is much more logical than releasing Somali pirates for the future of many Indian sailors and many Indian families.

This is not the time for emotional rhetoric and I'd rather go and console these families than have to console a hundred more families for not having the courage to do what we should do today and NOT negotiate with terrorists and pirates.

[Gaur]

Presently what are the alternatives ? Send in a rescue mission ? So far most rescue missions into Somalia have been utter disasters, even the recent Dutch attempt was a failure. There is a good reason nobody wants to send forces into Somalia!

While it is impossible to debate the feasibility of a rescue mission for armchair Generals like us, it may perhaps be possible.
While nearly all missions by the West in troubles African Regions have failed, recent Op Khukri in Sierra Leone comes to mind. And while that was a totally different scenario, it is worth mentioning that it looked even a greater lost cause at that time. Sierra Leone was one of the most (if not "the most") dangerous places in the world at that time and all the 228 5/8 GR soldiers were rescued without any casualty. Calling that even a miracle is an understatement.

What I mean to say is, you cannot just sit here and just make statement like "kill 12-13 Indians today" like any other option is unthinkable.

Maybe the hostages are beyond rescue. Maybe not. But it would do good to show some restraint in this matter and not start asking for "sacrifices".

[Aditya G]

Meanwhile the struggle for other sailors goes on:

http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage.php?id= ... ction_id=3

Hostage sailors' families to take fight forward
Pawan Bali
CNN-IBN

Jammu: Its been over nine months of tireless battle and despair for the families of men held captive by Somali pirates. Disappointed by the government's response, they say families in both India and Pakistan will come together and fight it out.

Khushal Khajuria made a promise to his brother to set him free, something which he is trying to do everyday single day the last nine months. He and Mulkraj have been struggling to release their eldest sibling NK Sharma, an engineer on MV Suez, who was held captive by Somalian pirates in August last year. Ever since, its been tireless battle to see him again.

Khushal Khajuria said, "He has told me that torture is actually something we can not bear anymore. If the government cannot do anything tell them to throw a bomb and kill us and even kill the pirates."

Both brothers say they have been camping in Delhi for over three months to get some response for the government, but like rest of the families they have only been disappointed

"There seems to be no way out with the government. When we call the ambassador, he doesn't even talk to us directly," adds Mulkraj.

MV Suez has 22 crew members including, eleven Egyptians, six Indians and four Pakistanis. Now the families from both India and Pakistan will join hands to take this fight forward.

Khushal Khajuria, "I have been talking to families in Egypt and Pakistan. I am in regular touch with families in Pakistan and we all will take it forward together now."

For the last nine months, there has been little progress on this issue and even of the families say the government and nation have disowned their own people, but their personal battles will go on.

http://www.timesnow.tv/articleshow/4370381.cms

'Bring our Indian sailors back'
14 Apr 2011, 1102 hrs IST, TIMES NOW
Indian sailor Sandeep Dangwal's narration of his eight month ordeal while he remained in captivity of Somali pirates, has forced families of those, who still remain in the custody, voice out yet another appeal to the Indian government. Sampa Arya, wife of abducted Indian sailor Ravendra Gulia, told TIMES NOW that she has struggled a lot in getting the authorities help get her husband freed from Somali pirates.

She also appealed to the Indian government to bring back those Indian sailors who remain captive onboard MV Suez.

She said, "Every time we just hear that a meeting will be arranged. It is all about just that meeting and nothing beyond that. We end up getting the same answer from every minister that talks are on. But we need action and not words. The Indian government will have to bring back our men at any cost.”

Sampa's appeal came just after sailor Sandeep Dangwal recounted his tales of horror, saying that 55 Indian sailors are still under the pirates custody. He added that the sailors are abused, beaten and tortured like animals.

The Panama-flagged vessel MV Suez was captured by the pirates on August 2 last year. The ship's crew includes four Pakistanis, six Indians, four Sri Lankans and 11 Egyptians.

[Brando]

What I mean to say is, you cannot just sit here and just make statement like "kill 12-13 Indians today" like any other option is unthinkable.

Maybe the hostages are beyond rescue. Maybe not. But it would do good to show some restraint in this matter and not start asking for "sacrifices".

It wouldn't be "asking for sacrifices" if they don't really have any other choice would it ? Besides, they are Merchant Marine sailors, piracy has been part and parcel of the Merchant Marine trade for centuries.

The biggest loss from this situation would be if India were to capitulate to the demands of these petty thugs. The loss of 15 civi sailors is a shame but not at the expense of endangering the lives of thousands of other Indian sailors who will become the most sought after hostages. We can't let this piracy racket transform into a kidnapping racket where no Indian is safe in what is essentially our own backyard.

[uddu]

It's so necessary to be in Somalian waters and to take out any pirate vessel that go out. Time to go to the source and finish them rather than search the whole ocean for Somalian pirates after they leave the shore. All the countries involved in Anti-piracy operations can anchor their ships off Somalian coast and take out any pirate ships that set sail from Somalia. Also the pirates and their assets onshore can also be targeted and taken out. No other way to end piracy. Else be ready to hand over cigars to Pirates like the British did before releasing them after teaching them how to treat hostages.

[atreya]

This is not the time for emotional rhetoric and I'd rather go and console these families than have to console a hundred more families for not having the courage to do what we should do today and NOT negotiate with terrorists and pirates.

Since you are so concerned about the future, when hundreds of Indians maybe killed, why don't you think of this- 10-15 sailors are killed today. I don't know how many are crew members, but let's assume 7-8 of them are. That means, the breadwinners are dead, their families land on the streets. Isn't there a good chance that their sons and daughters may turn to crime and thereby killing many more Indians?
Frankly, this line of argument does not appeal to me, but even your cold statistical analysis isn't flawless. And, as Gaur said, the possibilities of a rescue operation may or not may not be there, we are in no position to give out decisions on that.

[bmallick]

Firstly, being all macho and bravado, would only result in all indian hostages being killed. It might also result in cases where the pirates retaliating violently and killing Indian crew members once they capture any ship. So rather being more gung ho about things we should firstly ensure the safety of the current hostages and if required do an exchange and get all indians freed. At the same time increase our presence in the seas further. Look at it this way, capture more and more pirates. Now lets say a new ship gets captured with 20 crew with 5 indians. exchange the 5 indians and leave the remaing 15 for their countries to take care. This would send a clear signal to the international community that we can take care of our people, but if you want the safety of all then do something about it rather than sitting on your ass.

Please note that there is no shame in going for an exchange and its not an act of cowardice. Lot of arm chair tactician may see it that way and say lets go out and get these bas#$%.

We should rather retreat and fight another day and with the way the pirates are working we will get our chances soon.

[joshvajohn]

Somalia's pirate problem cannot be solved without solving the policing issues in Somalia. India should lead UN resolution regarding Somalia so that an Intertenational policing system under UN in its place if local govt failed to act. India should also have a rescue operation in Somalia using her force. Then Somalian pirates will think twice before they hijack Indians next time.

EU seeks international solution for Somalia
News Date: 24th March 2011
http://www.businessghana.com/portal/new ... &id=143637

Piracy in the Indian Ocean
Drum Cussac
Friday, April 15, 2011

http://www.marinelink.com/news/piracy-i ... 38038.aspx

Somaliland Struggles In Effort To Fight Piracy
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/13/135345974 ... ght-piracy

[SSridhar]

Released Indian sailors refuse to leave without the rest

The eight Indian sailors released from the captivity of Somali pirates have refused to return to India until their remaining seven colleagues are also released, an official said here Sunday.

"They have decided to express solidarity with their remaining seven colleagues and demanded that they should also be released simultaneously," National Union of Seafarers of India general secretary A.G. Serang told IANS.

Terming it as a "rare act of courage," Serang urged for renewed efforts by Indian and international agencies to secure release of all the hostages, including Indians, in captivity of the pirates.

An Indian Navy official said that a vessel is giving cover to the pirate vessel where the hostages are being held at a Somali port to ensure that there is no "re-hijack" of the Indian sailors.

[khwaja]

These events show a glaring weakness of patrolling in seas that ought to be in our sphere of influence if we wish to become a true blue water force. Our force levels are too low and the blanket for anti-piracy operations is too spread out and too thin. Pirates have been active even in what we consider our backyard; A month back, papers doled out news of IN's heroic operations destroying a pirate ship off Kochi.. The real question is, how did they get this far till our very own backyard?

Higher force levels and better intelligence gathering and sharing with regional forces could improve the situation. Higher force level is a longer term goal (and please, let's keep the navy as a navy and the coast guard as a coast guard); Better naval intelligence gathering would be short-medium term goal; Our EEZ monitoring facilities post-26/11 have been built up and are quite up-to-date. Intelligence sharing could be improved by improving our command structures.

[Brando]

Since you are so concerned about the future, when hundreds of Indians maybe killed, why don't you think of this- 10-15 sailors are killed today. I don't know how many are crew members, but let's assume 7-8 of them are. That means, the breadwinners are dead, their families land on the streets. Isn't there a good chance that their sons and daughters may turn to crime and thereby killing many more Indians?
Frankly, this line of argument does not appeal to me, but even your cold statistical analysis isn't flawless. And, as Gaur said, the possibilities of a rescue operation may or not may not be there, we are in no position to give out decisions on that.

Actually ^^this is not an argument at all since its completely fallacious. Do you mean to say that every so called "bread winner" who dies in India be it in a road accident or just crossing the street forces his family onto the streets ? And they (the family) then resort to crime, that too violent crime resulting in other Indians dying?? Let's be real here! You do realize that most of these guys might have life insurance don't you ? And further, most freighter companies also have compensate their families for wrongful deaths and other such accidental deaths while performing their jobs.

Your mushy feelings about launching a "rescue" for 15 Indians thousands of kilometers away deep in very hostile territory where foreign military with much superior resources and intelligence available have failed shows that you don't understand what the risks are and what the rewards are. Do you know how much it costs to train a single MACO ? Do you know how much a "rescue" mission would cost ? Do you know the amount it would cost to generate the required intelligence ? And what would be the reward for investing so many resources ? Are these 15 Indians vital to our national security ? Do they posses state secrets? What about the potential cost of failure ? The lives of at least 15 MACOs, the cost of any air assets used that are lost, the damage to India's image internationally, the possibility that our MACOs might become hostages themselves ? The risks do not justify the reward of a warm fuzzy feeling.

Gaur's "argument" about the "chance" of possible success in a rescue mission was by bringing up OP Khukri, which is like comparing Apples to Brinjals. It's pointless to speculate on fantasy scenarios and what ifs. And while none of us can predict the future of what will happen, we can use the lessons of the past and logic to reasonably conclude future courses of action.

Let's face the facts, 15 Indian merchant sailors are "expendable" in the overall scenario to India as a whole and beyond all reasonable attempts to facilitate their release like paying the ransom demanded or negotiating with some religious leaders for compassion to prevail, the Indian government "owes" nothing.

[UBanerjee]

If money is not paid for hostages that basically ruins the whole financial incentive behind this type of piracy. That is one reason most governments refuse to pay kidnappers who take people hostage.

[atreya]

Brando, pause for a minute and look at what YOU suggesting? That you leave 15 Indians there because they are expendable? That would be awesome, right? Terrorist all around the world will have a field day. "Indians are expendable, we can kill as many as we like". Everytime there is a multinational hostage crisis somewhere, you can tell the rescue team in the briefings room "Indians are expendable. Focus on rescuing the Americans".
Did Israel become the tough guy in the world scene by allowing it's hostages to get killed? Why is there no terrorist attack on the USA since WTC? Because the Govt said "we don't care for our citizens, you can kill as many as you like". Come on Brando! You talk about "hostages can be killed" as if it is the last option in the world! You may ask 'what other options?' and I'll say, take a look at bmallick's post. I think that was pretty logical, though the pros and cons can be debated.

And warm fuzzy feeling? 15 Indians are being held hostage and you think people here are getting a 'warm fuzzy feeling'? Since you act so completely cold about it, imagine one of your friends or relatives is amongst those 15. Care to say whether he is 'expendable' or not?

[karan_mc]

Hostage crisis: Navy diverts warship to Somalia

[bmallick]

I think we should start from the basic premise that " No life is expendable and Indian Lives more so". Some would say that's so squeamish and would expose us to the pirates and terrorist blackmailing. But hey lets pause and think for a while. These 15 are people we are talking about. These are not related to us, but they have brothers, sisters, sons & daughters, wives, moms & dads. Who are we to go and tell them that "look your son is expendable". I maybe be going OT here, but we in India have made our lives very cheap. We do not put a value on life at all and it shows in our overall dealings with other human being with in our own country. Maybe this is a classic case of very high supply and very poor demand. Our society has accepted the fact that life has no value. That is the reason why, people die of starvation in one part of the country and no one cares. Farmers take their own life and no one gives a damn. Soldiers die everyday fighting insurgency, but no body wants to solve the problems that lead to these deaths. Everybody sleeps peacefully. Its because we do not put a value to lives that it does not cause any flutters in our conscience.

Sorry for the rant.

[kvraghav]

^^^
There are work related hazards everywhere and this a type of it.I mean even the soldiers have wifes and children.Does that mean we should dissolve the army?That is indians life too.Many people die in accidents while going to work and they too have families.The nation should not be held for ransom for a select set of people.

[atreya]

The nation should not be held to ransom, only when there is no other option left! If the 'expendable people' theory is applied at the first go itself, then things will get worse with every situation. Firefighters, policemen, the defence forces- should we dissolve them all because lives are expendable? I believe that this 'expendable' funda should be used as a last resort when all other alternatives have been tried.
E.g. the IN frigate diverted towards Somalia is an attempt to do something (we don't know what plan they have in mind). You cannot just say "oh! hostage crisis! let them die, its alright! no PM or President there"

[chackojoseph]

Indian Navy ready for military action to rescue Indian hostages in Somalia

[Aditya G]

http://cryptome.org/0001/pirate-story.htm

...

he Netherlands has agreed to prosecute the five Somalis under a 17th-century law against "sea robbery." If convicted, common pirates face a maximum sentence of nine years and a captain can receive up to 12 years.(15) Nevertheless, the Somalis are delighted to be in the Netherlands. Willem-Jan Ausma described 24-year-old Ahmed Yusuf's relief at being in a Western prison: "My client feels safe here. His own village is dominated by poverty and sharia [Islamic law] but here he has good food and can play football and watch television. He thinks the lavatory in his cell is fantastic."(16)

Knowing he may be eligible for Dutch residency after serving his sentence, Yusuf hopes to send for his wife and children as soon as he is released from prison

...

[SSridhar]

CCS to discuss hostage crisis today

According to sources, the CCS will chart the action to be taken in the matter particularly in the light of the fact that there was no information about the whereabouts of seven crew members of the MT Asphalt Venture.

The pirates had released the tanker and eight crew members on Saturday but held back seven others despite the payment of ransom. They are now demanding the release of Somali pirates in Indian custody.

The CCS will be briefed about the deliberations of the crisis management group that took stock of the situation soon after the pirates went back on their word and put forth their new demand on Saturday. Officials refused to share details of the deliberations.

Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said saving the lives of the seven Indians being held as hostage would be the prime objective when the government took a decision to resolve the impasse.

Mr. Ravi told journalists the Union government's prime concern was the well-being and safe return of the seven Indians and that it would take appropriate decision and immediate action to achieve the objective.

Admitting that the pirates were holding the crew members to bargain for the release of pirates in Indian custody, Mr. Ravi said the Navy was on its job and the Ministries of External Affairs and Home were handling the matter.

According to sources, the government was in touch with the ship owners. But they were yet to hear from either the pirates or the captive crew members.

The pirates captured Asphalt Venture on September 28 last.

[SSridhar]

Indian warship heads to Somali coast
Among other things,

According to latest figures, 53 Indian sailors are being held hostage on five different ships.

Of them, 17 have been held for the longest on MT Savina Caylyn, an Italian ship which was seized Feb 8, 2010.

[Gagan]

How Somalian Pirates Operate

The Somalian Pirates are indeed a loosely organized grouping a little bit like the Taliban.
They seem to be located in villages and divided by tribes etc.
There appears to be no centralized command or unifying structure, it is essentially entire coastal villages that have taken to piracy to make ends meet.

Here is how a typical piracy attempt works out.
1. The pirates attack and take over a merchant vessel in the high seas. Typically each ship has documents that identify the owners of the ship, contact details.
2. The pirate leaders, get in touch with the Ship Owners by Satellite phone, SMS, etc and inform them that their ship is under their control. Initial demands for ransom are made.
3. The ship's owners get in touch with law firms based in London which deal with kidnappings and hijacks. It is legal in Britain to pay a ransom except to terrorists. These firms have representatives who negotiate with the pirates representatives to haggle down the ransom price. The pirates so far only appear to be motivated by money. (Their latest attempt calling for a War with India and not releasing Indian sailors is a new development). According to the people who negotiate with the pirates, these operations are simple hostage taking and ransom jobs.
4. It takes about a month or two to haggle down the prices. The pirates demand ransom in cash, in used US dollar bills, and often specify details such as 50 or 100 dollar bills printed between 2000 and 2009 only.
5. Once the ransom has been made ready, another team of people take over. These guys specialize in ransom delivery. The cash is brought down to Mombasa, Kenya. A tug boat is hired and the team usually equips themselves with sufficient weaponry to ward off a hijacking attempt on their own ship. These teams usually keep the navy ships deployed in the region in the loop about their mission. The team makes the northward journey to where the ship has been held - usually off the coast of the pirate village, the ransom is handed over to the pirates and the team leaves.

No two ransom payments are the same. Different methods of delivering the ransom have been used. For example the owners paid money delivered by air using parachutes to deliver the money for the tanker Sirius Star which had about $100 million worth of cargo on board.

6. The pirates are left alone with the ransom so that they may count the money. The pirates often have cash counting machines and machines that can identify counterfeit notes.
7. Once the ransom is delivered, the pirates are allowed to leave the ship without interference. The ship can then proceed to its destination.
8. What is the distribution of the money like:
a) Each pirate on board the hijacking ship gets an equal amount. The leader probably makes more money. Overall the pirates make a couple of 100,000 dollars (Something like $1-300,000)
b) The team that delivers the ransom usually makes as much as the pirates make, it is usually a 50-50 deal.
c) The Law firm in London which coordinates everything makes the most money ($300,000+)
d) The company which owns the Ship, usually has several million dollars worth of cargo on board (close to 50-100 million dollars) and paying off 1-2 million dollars is palatable for them.

There is one complicating factor though.

Al Shabab: This is the Al Qaida branch that operates in Somalia. They take a cut from the pirates. In the areas where they are in control, the pirates have to pay them upto 50% of their earnings, in other places they charge 10-20%. Recently they held a meeting of the pirate bosses at Harardhere, in southern somalia, to negotiate the 'tax' payable to them. When the negotiations fell through, they held the pirate bosses hostage until their demands were met and the pirates paid up. Somalian piracy is a 150-200 million dollar industry annually. A 20% cut means that the Al Shabab might be making as much as $30-40 million annually from it.

As I've mentioned earlier, for the pirates, this has always been a purely commercial transaction. Their mentioning the word WAR with India is something that is happening for the first time. They want the release of all the pirates that the IN and Indian Coast Guard have arrested. They are holding upto 57 Indian sailors, even after ransom has been paid by the shipping companies. Further they have announced that they will not release any Indian sailors until India releases their comrades.

What needs to be investigated here is, weather this announcement by the pirates is a simple case of a few villagers wanting their comrades back or is somehow associated with Al Shabab.

[SSridhar]

Piracy: Concerns over recent hijackings in the Indian Ocean

Several national and international organisations in the shipping sector have raised an alarm over the recent piracy incidents in the Indian Ocean and appealed to find an early solution to the organised crime.

In a statement here {Mumbai} on Monday, the National Union of Seafarers of India said that several organisations including the International Chamber of Shipping, International Transport Federation, Intertanko, BIMCO, Indian National Shipowners' Association and Maritime Union of India have deplored the latest incidents of piracy in which some Indian crew of a released merchant ship were retained ashore in Somalia.

[Jeff Lira]

Somalian government has allowed indian navy to enter upto 12 nautical miles off their coast. Thus after US and France, Indian navy has become third navy to do so. India has also requested the weak Somalian government to help. India offered huge number of creation of jobs in the horn of Africa. government in somalia has assured that it will do anything to help release the sailors.

Somalian Pirates Waged War against India

[Rupesh]

Appeasement never pays

Let us go back to February 2006. On receiving media information that an Indian-owned and -manned dhow, MV Bhakti Sagar, flying the Indian flag, had been hijacked by Somali pirates, Naval Headquarters (NHQ) ordered the destroyer INS Mumbai, homeward bound from Oman, to alter course for Somalian waters. The intention was for the ship to position just outside Somali territorial waters and remain on station, since intense diplomatic activity was underway to negotiate the release of the Indian crew. Nautical wisdom said that a powerful warship, looming unseen over the horizon, could open any number of options; not all of them military. And best of all, if nothing worked out, she could just come home, still unheard and unseen.


While Mumbai was proceeding with all despatch, a heated debate raged in the cabinet secretary’s office about the advisability of sending a warship. At the end of these deliberations, the MEA sent a written note to NHQ posing a set of rhetorical questions, which came as a revelation about the diffidence and lack of resolve that prevails at policy-making levels. Agonising about how our African and Middle-Eastern neighbours would react to what was termed as “muscle-flexing” by the Indian navy, the note vividly illustrated why India has earned the sobriquet of a “soft state”.


The essence of the note was contained in one plaintive query: “Will we sail a destroyer every time an Indian national is in trouble anywhere?” The navy’s emphatic response — “Yes of course; if we have one available!” — went unheeded, and the warship had to be recalled. A few days later, the shipowner paid ransom to the pirates, and 21 Indian citizens came home, without the Indian state or its powerful navy having lifted a finger to protect them.

There are two theories about why six Indian crew members have been kept back. One is that the pirates are annoyed because the owners have paid less ransom than agreed upon. The other, more disturbing, version is that they are demanding the release of their compatriots captured last month by the Indian navy. If Kandahar and IC-814 had a lesson, it was that appeasement never pays. Perhaps it is now time to send a destroyer; this time with Marine Commandos.

The writer is a former chief of the naval staff

[D Roy]

http://www.moneylife.in/article/the-eco ... 15819.html

[chackojoseph]

Indian Navy TU 142M aircraft helps to repel Pirate attack on Chinese merchant ship

[Aditya G]

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_pi ... se_1540082

The Somali pirates holding seven Indian crew of M/T Asphalt Venture hostage have refused to negotiate with the ship owners and insisted they would engage only with the government authorities.

"The pirates are refusing to deal with us...they want to talk only with the government for release of the remaining seven crew members, including six officers," a representative of the company said.

Beyond this, he said, the company is not aware if any new demands have been put forth by the pirates, who had earlier taken the seven on-shore to Somalia.

The shipping company is in touch with the external affairs ministry and the shipping ministry for the release of the crew members, which is a "top priority" right now, he said.

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