Pirates turn refugees

Somalian govt refuses to accept pirates detained off Indian coast; escalates into logistic headache for India

Pirates turn refugees

Somalian govt refuses to accept pirates detained off Indian coast; escalates into logistic headache for India

Intensified operations against Somalian pirates have surely made Indian waters safer, but the swelling numbers of foreign detainees, whom their own governments often deny to own up, may end up as a liability for the Indian government.

Some of the alleged Somalian pirates were caught by the Navy following a gun battle off the coast of Lakshadweep islands last Tuesday

With the arrest of 52 more Somalian pirates in an early morning operation yesterday, the number of detained international refugees reached 80 in a week.

On Tuesday, the Navy and Coast Guard had arrested 30 pirates from the high seas.

So what prompts the Somalian pirates to venture into the less lucrative Indian waters?

As the Nato forces have intensified vigil on the Suez Canal and its areas, the killing grounds of the Somalian pirates, the robbers have now started sneaking into the Indian Ocean to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The Navy and Coast Guard must have earned kudos for their daring crackdown on the dreaded pirates, but it has inadvertently put the country on the tip of an international refugee crisis.

A glaring case in point is of the 11 Indonesian pirates who were apprehended by the Coast Guard in November 2000, but are still languishing in Indian jails.

According to Coast Guard sources, there are at least 24 Myanmar nationals in jails across the country. But the Myanmarese government is refusing to accept them as they have been named in criminal cases.

And the case of Somalian pirates, there is no government to own them up.

Ship owner Jagdeep Ayaachi from Kandla, who owns a fleet of trawlers plying in the Somalian waters, told MiD DAY that there was no local government in that country to accept these pirates.
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"I had to deal with the pirates when one of my ships were hijacked by them.

There is no government there, it is the kingpin or the mafia who rule the country" said Ayaachi, who got his ship released from Somalia after paying a hefty ransom to the kingpin.

A senior Coast Guard official, requesting anonymity, told MiD DAY that they were still not clear under what category the charges will be filed.

The offence has taken place in deep seas and presenting a watertight case against the pirates could be a serious problem.

Let alone the criminals, the victims (owners of the robbed ships) will also have to stay back in India till the cases are dissolved.u00a0 This will add to the already bulging burden of international refugees. Needless to mention that the taxpayers' money will be splurged on their maintenance, added the official.

The pirates are being charged with offences such as attempt to murder, possessing illegal arms and obstructing government servants from performing their duties, confirmed the Yellow Gate police.

"These pirates might become a serious refugee problem. But then we have to make arrangement to ensure the trials are completed at the earliest," admitted Deputy Commissioner of Police Kaiser Khalid.

Naval spokesperson Captain M Nambiar confirmed the Western Naval headquarters had informed him that 52 Somalian pirates were apprehended in an operation off the Lakshadweep coast.

The vessel hijacked by them has been rescued. The pirates were apprehended in the Exclusive Economic Zone-200 nautical miles off the country's coast in daring high seas operations.

How the pirates operate

Armed pirates board trawlers or merchant vessels cruising off the Somalian coast. The kingpins use the hijacked ships as "mother vessel" to venture into deep seas.

But the increased vigil of the NATO ships in Suez Canal and the adjoining areas, has forced the pirates to venture deep into the India Ocean near Lakshadweep and Maldives.

Once on board, they take the crew hostage. The kingpin negotiates with the owners of the shipping company for the ransom. The ships and some cargoes are returned if they arrive at an agreement.