SKorea storms Somali pirates to rescue ship crew

[blue]

Jan. 21: South Korean naval special forces prepare to rescue crew members from Somali pirates on cargo ship Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea.
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean special forces stormed a hijacked freighter in the Arabian Sea on Friday, rescuing all 21 crew members and killing eight assailants in a rare and bold raid on Somali pirates, South Korea said.
The military operation in waters between Oman and Africa, which also captured five pirates and left one crew member wounded, came a week after the Somali attackers seized the South Korean freighter and held hostage eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 citizens from Myanmar.
"We will not tolerate any behavior that threatens the lives and safety of our people in the future," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in a brief televised statement, adding that the rescue was a "perfect operation."
The successful raid is a triumph for Lee, whose government suffered harsh criticism at home in the weeks following a North Korean attack in November on a South Korean island near disputed waters. Critics said Lee's military was too slow and weak in its response to the attack, which killed two marines and two civilians.
With a South Korean destroyer and a Lynx helicopter providing covering fire, South Korea's special navy forces stormed the hijacked vessel in a pre-dawn rescue operation that left eight of the pirates dead and five captured, Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho told reporters.



The captain of the ship was shot by a pirate and taken by a U.S. helicopter to a nearby country for treatment, but the wound is not life-threatening, Lt. Gen. Lee said. The 20 other crew members were rescued unharmed, he said.
"This operation demonstrated our government's strong will to never negotiate with pirates," the general said.
Storming a ship held by pirates is rare and navies tend to avoid it because of the risk of harming hostages, who are usually kept below decks out of sight. So rescues are not normally attempted once the pirates are onboard the ship unless the crew is locked in a safe room — often called a "citadel" — with two way



communications.
Authorities did not immediately give details on the location of crew members during the rescue.
The 11,500-ton chemical carrier Samho Jewelry was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka when it was hijacked. It was the second vessel from South Korea-based Samho Shipping to be hijacked in the past several months.
In November, Somali pirates freed the supertanker Samho Dream and its 24 crew — five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos — after seven months of captivity.
Samho Shipping did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
The Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet referred all questions to South Korea, although it said the U.S. Navy was aware of the event.
SKorea storms Somali pirates to rescue ship crew - FoxNews.com

why don't the west do this too ?
because we hamstrung by political correctness

[Happyman]

At last someone has the balls to sort them out . Well done !!

[Bower]

Yup, well done S Korea, its about time someone did this.
Or is this a US lead operation to give S Korea a bit of a lift ?
Either way fuck the pirates and well done.

[Mad Hatter]

With a South Korean destroyer and a Lynx helicopter providing covering fire, South Korea's special navy forces stormed the hijacked vessel in a pre-dawn rescue operation that left eight of the pirates dead and five captured, Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho told reporters.

why don't the west do this too ?
because we hamstrung by political correctness

The five captured ought to be summarily tried and executed for piracy OR if in the UK be given a two year suspended sentence with trauma counselling.

[Marmite the Dog]

why don't the west do this too ?

rescues are not normally attempted once the pirates are onboard the ship unless the crew is locked in a safe room — often called a "citadel" — with two way

Maybe they don't want their crew to die?

[sabang]

The five captured ought to be summarily tried and executed for piracy OR if in the UK be given a two year suspended sentence with trauma counselling.

Yes, quite. The only way they should have got off that ship was in a body bag. Well done.

[Thetyim]

Let's hope the Thai Navy now realises what a bunch of cowards they are.

[boloa]

The South Korean naval special forces sound as good as The Expendables !!!!

[blue]

Malaysia nabs Somalis in day's 2nd raid on pirates

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's navy was holding seven Somali pirates Saturday who were apprehended in the second dramatic commando raid within hours on ships seized near the African coast, authorities said.
The operations gave both Malaysia and South Korea dramatic successes in the battle against pirates who have long tormented shipping in the waters off the Horn of Africa.
The Royal Malaysian Navy said its commandos wounded three pirates in a gun battle and rescued the 23 crew members on the Malaysian-flagged chemical tanker MT Bunga Laurel early Friday, shortly after the pirates stormed the vessel in the Gulf of Aden with assault rifles and pistols.
The operation came the same day as another stunning raid by South Korean commandos who freed a hijacked freighter, which on Saturday was sailing toward Oman under the escort of a South Korean destroyer, a company official said.
Malaysia's navy said it sent a ship and a helicopter to the Bunga Laurel, which was then 14 miles (22 kilometres) away, after crew members locked themselves in a safe room and activated a distress call Friday morning.
Elite security forces managed to board the ship and overpower the pirates after an exchange of gunfire, it said in a statement. No one in the rescue team or the ship's crew was injured.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said he was informed that seven pirates were captured. Authorities were considering whether they should be brought to Malaysia to face trial, he said.
"I am proud of our (navy), which acted with full efficiency and demonstrated courage," Najib said.
The navy ship was in the Gulf of Aden to escort vessels with Malaysian interests. The attack occurred only two hours after it had left the Bunga Laurel after accompanying it to what was considered relatively safe waters, the navy said.
It did not provide the crew members' nationalities. Representatives of the Malaysian International Shipping Corp., which operates the Bunga Laurel, could not immediately be reached.
Later Friday, the raid by South Korean commandos killed eight pirates and captured five others, ending the weeklong captivity of 21 crew members, including eight South Koreans, aboard the Samho Jewelry.
The wounded captain of the South Korean freighter, Seok Hae-gyun, was being treated at a hospital in Oman for a gunshot wound in the stomach by a pirate, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.
Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in Seoul that Seok's condition was not life-threatening.
The captain helped the rescue operation by steering the vessel in a zigzag pattern to stall for time after the pirates demanded that the ship be taken toward Somalia, Yonhap said.
A Samho Shipping official confirmed that the ship was heading toward Oman, but said he had no other information because of a breakdown of the ship's communication equipment.
South Korea is studying whether to bring the five captured pirates to Seoul for prosecution or hand them over to countries near Somalia, Yonhap said, citing an unidentified government official.
Repeated calls to South Korea's Foreign Ministry seeking comment went unanswered Saturday.
Other countries' special forces have also launched raids to save ships boarded by Somali pirates within hours of the attacks in recent months, after being assured the crew was locked in safe rooms, commonly referred to as "citadels."
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, during which time piracy has flourished off its coast, sometimes yielding millions of dollars in ransoms.
There are now 29 vessels and 703 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The country lies next to one of the world's most important shipping routes, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea beyond.

[Mid]

Seoul Mulling Prisoner Swap with Somali Pirates

The government may consider an exchange of five Somali pirates captured by the Navy in a rescue operation with the crew of a fishing trawler who have been held by pirates in the lawless country since November.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin hinted at the unorthodox solution when he met members of the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Monday to report on the rescue of a Korean freighter in the Gulf of Aden. When some committee members called for a prisoner swap, Kim promised to consult other government officials in the matter.


UDT/SEALs of the Cheonghae Unit gather on the deck of the freighter Samho Jewelry after rescuing the ship from Somali pirates on Friday.
Courtesy of the Navy

But the Foreign Ministry is reportedly skeptical about the idea. Officials there said pirates and Korean sailors cannot be exchanged on an equal footing, and it is unclear if such a swap is feasible since the freighter Samho Jewelry and the trawler Keummi may have been hijacked by different gangs.

Government officials considered handing the captives over to be tried in a third country like Kenya or Oman, but this proved difficult and the government is now minded to bring them to Korea.

The committee was also told that the pirates had missiles and other weapons that posed a serious danger to the Korean Navy ship.

Army Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the pirates "had a huge 70,000-ton ship registered in Panama. We didn't know exactly what equipment or how many pirates were on board, but we know it carried missiles."

Meanwhile, the rescued Samho Jewelry reached Omani waters Monday but is not expected to dock in Muscat until Thursday because it will take time to discuss how to handle the captured and killed pirates.

english.chosun.com


PS : Blue , South Korea is in Asia

.

[Mid]

High-tech gear helped S. Korea raid on pirates
Jan 24, 2011

High-tech equipment and carefully planned tactics helped Seoul's navy rescue a South Korean ship and its crew from Somali pirates, military officials said Monday. Navy commandos on Friday stormed the Samho Jewelry, a 11,500-ton freighter hijacked on January 15 in the Arabian Sea, and rescued all 21 crew members -- eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Myanmar.

Eight pirates were killed and five seized, with no casualties among the troops sent from the Choi Young destroyer that was pursuing the pirates.

When 15 navy commandos climbed aboard the freighter in the pre-dawn mission, military officials in South Korea monitored their every move via a remote camera system installed on each commando's helmet and gun, the navy said.

"With the images transmitted from the system, military officials in Seoul and navy command centres elsewhere in the country could watch real-time what was going on in the ship," a navy spokesman told AFP.

The navy prevented the pirates from communicating with their mother ship by jamming the airwaves and radar, JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported.

The jamming also made pirates unable to detect a helicopter and troops in high-speed boats approaching the ship, it quoted a Seoul military official as saying.

Defence officials declined to confirm the jamming but a defence ministry spokesman called the raid "a victory based on high technology".

To help the commandos navigate the seized ship, the military in South Korea took photos of a similar vessel and transmitted the images to the Choi Young destroyer, the defence ministry spokesman said.

The destroyer and helicopter had previously staged several fake attacks to "exhaust the pirates and make them unable to anticipate a real attack", said Cho Young-Joo, commander of the Choi Young.

The US military deployed a P-3C reconnaissance aircraft, which helped the South Koreans to figure out the location of each pirate on board.

None of the hijacked crew were hurt apart from the skipper, who suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach from a pirate's bullet. His condition is not life-threatening.

The rescue was seen as a major morale boost for the South's military, which faced strong domestic criticism for a perceived weak response to North Korea's shelling of a border island last November.

President Lee Myung-Bak, who authorised the raid, also came in for praise from the public and even from a leading member of the opposition.

Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin said Monday that South Korea would consider bringing the five captured pirates to the country for prosecution.

"They will be put on trial" if they arrive in South Korea, he told reporters.

The final decision will be made as early as Thursday when the freed ship arrives in the Omani port of Muscat, Yonhap news agency said, adding that African countries refuse to try alleged Somali pirates in their own courts.

In a similar operation, Malaysian naval commandos late last week rescued 23 crew and captured seven Somali pirates to free a hijacked oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

terradaily.com

[harrybarracuda]

I must admit, I'd rather hear that "13 Pirates unfortunately died during the rescue and were buried at sea".

And send the Somalis photographs of the five that were alive and attached to their mates when thrown in the water, as a reminder of what might happen if they try it again.

[Thetyim]

High-tech equipment and carefully planned tactics helped Seoul's navy rescue a South Korean ship and its crew from Somali pirates

Cue the Thai Navy.
"We need an extra 187 trillion baht so we can have the same equipment"

[Mid]

Wounded S.Korea captain returns home
30/01/2011

The seriously wounded captain of a South Korean freighter freed from Somali pirates in a commando raid arrived home Saturday, witnesses said.


A South Korean navy's Lynx helicopter and a speedboat approach the South Korean ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on January 21. The seriously wounded captain of a South Korean freighter freed from Somali pirates in a commando raid arrived home Saturday, witnesses said.

A special ambulance jet carrying Seok Hae-Kyun landed at a military airport south of Seoul after an 11-hour flight from Oman, they said.

The 58-year-old captain was taken to a hospital in Suwon, south of Seoul, for treatment and possibly further surgery. Doctors described his condition as grave.

Seok was shot three times by pirates when South Korean navy commandos raided his vessel earlier this month, six days after it had been hijacked in the Arabian Sea.

He underwent two rounds of surgery at a hospital in Oman to remove bullets and treat leg bones fractured by gunshots. Seoul sent a special plane and a medical team to Oman to bring him home.

President Lee Myung-Bak wished Seok a quick recovery and told his own doctor and other medical specialists to help care for him, a spokesman of the presidential Blue House said.

Local media have hailed Seok as one of the heroes of the operation.

As a South Korean destroyer pursued his ship, Seok stalled for time by steering it in a zigzag course and mixing water into the engine oil, despite constant threats from his captors, military officials said.

The skipper was the only one of 21 crew members wounded in the rescue, in which eight pirates were killed and five seized.

A special flight carrying the five captured pirates left Oman's Muscat airport on Saturday and was expected to arrive at Gimhae airport near the South Korean port of Busan on Sunday, Yonhap news agency and YTN TV said.

They will be put on trial for hijacking.

Under South Korean law the pirates face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of shooting the Samho Jewelry's captain. If he dies they could face death sentences.

A Korea Coast Guard (KCG) spokesman told AFP the case would be handled by the KCG South Regional Headquarters in Busan, where a team of some 50 investigators were ready.

He declined to confirm the details of the transfer.

Piracy has surged off lawless Somalia in recent years, and international warships patrol the area in a bid to clamp down on the problem, but most pirates caught at sea are freed almost straight away because there is nowhere to try them.

bangkokpost.com

[attaboy]

I must admit, I'd rather hear that "13 Pirates unfortunately died during the rescue and were buried at sea".

Arafat was buried at sea wasn't he? I was asked "man on the street" where he should be buried and I recommended he be buried at sea.


Good show on the part of the Sorks. Will there be Youtube video?

[Mid]

Will there be Youtube video?

surprisingly no luck finding one so far

full vid is supposedly 4mins .

[Mid]

Somalis accused of piracy are charged in South Korea
25 February 2011


The five young suspected pirates say they were following orders from their boss

Prosecutors in South Korea have charged five Somali men suspected of being pirates with attempted murder.

The charge can carry a sentence of life in prison, or death; lesser charges such as maritime robbery were also brought against the men.

The Somalis were seized when South Korean special forces stormed a cargo ship that had been hijacked by pirates last month.

The ship's captain was shot during the rescue; eight pirates were killed.
The Busan prosecutor's office said that Captain Seok Hae-gyun had suffered a life-threatening wound from a pirate during the raid on the South Korean-owned Samho Jewelry on 15 January.

He is a serious but stable condition.

"When the commandos launched their raid, Captain Seok was lying on the floor," prosecutor Jeong Jeom-Shik told reporters, adding Seok was hit by stray bullets from the commandos after being critically injured.

Malaysia has also sought to bring pirates before the courts, laying charges earlier this month against seven Somali pirates.

The US has sentenced a Somali pirate to nearly 34 years in prison; Germany and Spain have also put alleged Somali pirates on trial.

The Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the world's busiest shipping routes and has become a hotspot for pirate attacks.

Forty-nine ships were hijacked in the area in 2010, and Somali pirates are currently reported to be holding 31 ships, with more than 700 crew on board.

bbc.co.uk

[Mid]

S. Korea to open trial of five Somali pirates
22 May 2011

SEOUL: Five Somali pirates will go on trial in South Korea Monday on charges punishable by life imprisonment, four months after they were seized in a dramatic commando raid on a hijacked ship in the Indian Ocean.

Tight security will be in force at the court in the southern city of Busan when the five answer charges including maritime robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder.

Piracy has surged in recent years off Somalia, a lawless, war-torn country that sits alongside one of the world's most important shipping routes, but many of those caught by an international fleet of warships are freed because there is nowhere to try them.

The trial in Busan is part of efforts to address the problem, and marks the first attempt by South Korea, a major seagoing nation, to punish foreign pirates.

About 100 riot police will guard the Busan District Criminal Court and a limited number of spectators and press will have to pass through metal detectors, said court spokesman Jeon Ji-Hwan.

"We are doing our best to maintain security and order in our court because this trial will be watched closely by the international community," he told AFP.

A jury -- a relative novelty in the country -- will hear the case alongside the judges.

The 12-strong panel, including three alternate members, will suggest a verdict and sentence but the judges are not bound by its recommendations.

Four pirates will have their case heard by a jury and a verdict is expected Friday evening.

A fifth, identified as Abdulahi Husseen Maxamuud, 20, pleaded guilty to all charges and will answer questions separately in court on Tuesday. He will be sentenced on June 1.

South Korean navy SEALs raided the South Korean-owned chemical freighter Samho Jewelry on January 21, six days after it was hijacked in the Arabian Sea, killing eight pirates and seizing five.

All 21 crew were rescued but Captain Seok Hae-Kyun, 58, was shot several times and remains in stable condition in hospital after multiple operations.

His written testimony will be read to the court on the third day.

Seok was hailed as a hero for his attempts to slow down his ship after it was hijacked, as were the commandos.

Prosecutors have said a pirate identified as Araye Mahomed shot the captain when commandos launched their raid, although he was also hit once by crossfire from the South Koreans.

Prosecutors said one bullet that seriously injured Seok matched Mahomed's gun.

The suspect, who denies shooting the captain, will answer questions on Thursday.

Investigators say some of the pirates had last year taken part in the hijacking of a South Korean supertanker owned by the same firm as the Samho Jewelry.

The 300,000-tonne Samho Dream and its 24 crew were released after a reported US$9 million ransom payment was made.

Despite the scale of piracy off Somalia, only a few perpetrators have been brought to justice so far.

In March a US court sentenced five Somali pirates to life in prison plus 80 years for their attack on a US naval vessel deployed on anti-piracy patrol.

A month later a Somali was sentenced to 25 years in Washington for his role in holding a merchant ship and its crew hostage for 71 days.

On Friday another Somali pleaded guilty in Norfolk, Virginia, to piracy and hostage-taking for a yacht hijacking that left four Americans dead, in a deal with prosecutors that saw him avoid a possible death sentence.

In May a Spanish court sentenced two Somalis to jail terms totalling 439 years each for their role in the hijacking of a fishing trawler and its crew in 2009.

In February a Malaysian court charged seven suspected Somali pirates with firing at Malaysian forces during a Gulf of Aden raid to free a hijacked tanker, under laws that carry the death penalty.

channelnewsasia.com

[genghis61]

27 May 2011
South Korean court jails four Somali pirates


This has been a high-profile case for South Korea - believed to be the first piracy trial held in the country


A Somali pirate has been jailed for life by a South Korean court, after being convicted of the attempted murder of the captain of a hijacked ship.

Mahomed Araye was one of several Somalis seized in January when South Korean special forces stormed a cargo ship hijacked in the Arabian Sea.

Another man was sentenced to 15 years; two others received 13-year terms.

The trial marks the first attempt by South Korea - a major seafaring nation - to punish foreign pirates.

The court in the port city of Busan ruled that only Araye had been involved in the shooting of Capt Seok Hae-Kyun, who is still recovering in hospital.

Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty for Araye, and life imprisonment for his accomplices, saying the pirates had used the captive crew as human shields during the raid by South Korean forces.

Eight pirates were killed and five were arrested during the mission to recapture the South Korean-owned Samho Jewelry on 15 January, six days after it was seized.

Defence lawyers argued the ballistic evidence linking Araye to the shooting of the captain was thin, and that no one saw him fire.

In the course of the trial, prosecutors also said that a British man working in the insurance industry contacted the Samho shipping company shortly after the kidnapping, allegedly to broker a possible deal with the hijackers.

A fifth suspect is being tried separately, and will be sentenced next week.

The Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the world's busiest shipping routes and has become a hotspot for pirate attacks.

[The Bold Rodney]

A Somali pirate has been jailed for life by a South Korean court, after being convicted of the attempted murder of the captain of a hijacked ship. Mahomed Araye was one of several Somalis seized in January when South Korean special forces stormed a cargo ship hijacked in the Arabian Sea. Another man was sentenced to 15 years; two others received 13-year terms.

It would have been better to have disposed of this trash (all five of them) at the end of a rope!