Monday, January 28, 2013
A UN document has linked British citizens with the Somali piracy. That's according to a report published by The Times of London. The newspaper identifies a British businessman of Somali origin as one of the key organizers of a pirate-related kidnapping in 2009. The British media report however didn't mention the name of this British citizen.
The British-Somali man referred to in the report is believed to have been directly involved in the kidnapping of Paul and Rachel chandler, a British couple held captive for more than a year by armed Somali pirates. The couple was finally released after a hefty ransom of 600-thousand pound.
The Somali Prime Minister has already appealed to the sea brigands to denounce piracy. He has also promised that his administration will suppress piracy threat along the Somali coast.
In early January, a Somali pirate kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan renounced piracy, a profession that earned him a fortune for more than a decade. He is believed to have been behind the hijacking of a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker and a Ukrainian vessel loaded with military hardware and ammunition. Both vessels were released after pirates recieved millions of dollars in ransom.
According to the U-N document, Mohamed Abdi commanded bandits in the Arabian Sea and off the coast of East Africa, raking in millions of dollars in ransom.
Meanwhile, the Somali premier has appealed for international aid to eliminate piracy by training and equipping the Somali maritime forces rather than spending millions of dollars through the E-U Anti-Piracy program.
Elsewhere, according to the Indian media, Somali pirates have expressed willingness to free 46 Indian hostages. In exchange, they have reportedly demanded the Indian government free 120 Somali pirates set to face trial. It is not however clear whether the Indian government will consider the pirates offer in exchange for its nationals.