Thread: European Union : Piracy raids endanger hostages

European Union says piracy raids endanger hostages
Sunday, January 23, 2011

Despite successful raids by Malaysian and South Korean navies that rescued two ships and their crew members from Somali pirates, the European Union Naval Force said it would not follow suit because such raids could further endanger hostages.

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 gunbattle 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.

EU Naval Force spokesman Wing Commander Paddy O'Kennedy said that despite these successes the force would not change its approach toward tackling piracy.

"Our priority is the safety of the hostages. The pirates are using the hostages as human shields and if we get too close to the pirates they threaten to kill the hostages. ... I am sure they will carry out the threats if we got too close," Mr. O'Kennedy said.

The force now has four ships patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Indian Ocean. The EU's force for Somalia, also called Operation Atalanta, escorts merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid.

The force said it also "protects vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean," in an effort to deter and disrupt piracy.

Mr. O'Kennedy said the force last year disrupted 64 attempted hijackings by Somali pirate groups.

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.

post-gazette.com

related :

https://teakdoor.com/world-news/85893...scue-ship.html (SKorea storms Somali pirates to rescue ship crew)

https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...f-somalia.html (Malaysia : Commandos free tanker off Somalia)

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