Increasing number of Somali pirates in
small boats continued to be seen within Maldivian territorial waters.
Last Tuesday, a fishing vessel from the island of Thinadhoo chased a
small dingy of Somali pirates for half an hour before capturing them.
The three Somalis seen in the Maldives waters claimed they were
fishermen who got drifted off while fishing.
Since December 2009, 34 Somalis
suspected to be pirates have been found and detained by the Maldives
authorities. Their cases are being investigated with the help of marines
from the US Pacific Command.
The Maldives National Defence Force
(MNDF) officers who searched a small boat with seven Somalis near Fuvamulak
found a bullet shell. The men who claimed to be drifting at sea for two
months appeared to be strong and therefore had been handed over to the
police for investigation.
The MNDF has warned the local fisherman
and others travelling by sea not to approach any unknown vessel or small
boat in case they may turn out to be pirates. The locals are requested
by the Maldives Coast Guard to report any suspicious activity at sea.
At a news briefing the Coast Guard’s
Director General, Brigadier Zakariyya Mansur has explained how the
Somali pirates seize vessels at sea. Small boats with few men pretend to
be drifting and in desperate need for help operate with light weaponry
while a heavily armed larger vessel waits at a distance.
In most cases, the Somalis who claim to
be fisherman drifting off at sea do not have any fish on board but they
have enough provisions and fuel. They probably dispose of their weapons
quickly and pretend they are in desperate need of help just to get away
with their crimes.
Maldives faces a huge maritime security threat as Somali pirates extend their activity further into the Indian Ocean.
___________________________________________________Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
1 December 2010, Wednesday
25 Zulhijjah 1431
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