Apr 17 2008
Piracy is rapidly being suppressed on the high seas–or is it?
The governments of France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have something in common. They don’t fool around when it comes to piracy.
Mike Nizza reports from The Lede: Notes on the News on NYTimes.com that in 2005, the Malacca Straight, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, was considered a war zone because there was so much piracy. Using coordinated sea and air patrols, the surrounding nations quickly had things under control and the war rating by Lloyd’s of London was dropped.
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(The Malacca Straight is a narrow stretch of water between the Malaysian peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.)
The area seems to be relatively pirate-free.
But the coasts of Somalia and Nigeria are still a hotbed of piratical activity. The other week a French yacht was seized by Somali pirates. The French government sent in special forces to negotiate, then double-cross the sea raiders. The crew and passengers were rescued and six of the pirates were arrested.
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(The coast of Somalia, also known as the Horn of Africa.)
Things in Somalia appear to be somewhat under control—for now.
Oddly enough, the British government recently offered asylum to pirates. The British Navy has been asked not to arrest the very pirates it is helping to chase down off the horn of Africa (Somalia).
Five nations are hunting pirates down with impunity, another is offering asylum. Some oceans and seas are under control and others you wouldn’t send your worst enemy. It reminds me a bit like the golden age of piracy during the age of sail, with one nation waging war and another offering a secretive license to privateer. One thing is for sure, it makes for interesting news.
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