pasathai1 Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Somali pirates seize 3 Thai ships with 77 crew BY KATHARINE HOURELD, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010 AT 3:45 A.M. NAIROBI, Kenya  Somali pirates hijacked three Thai fishing vessels with 77 crew aboard more than 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) off the Somali coast, the farthest-off-shore attack to date, the EU Naval Force said Tuesday. Pirates have expanded their range south and east in response to an increase in patrols by European and U.S. warships off the Somali shore. The hijacking of the three Thai vessels Sunday was almost 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the EU Naval Force, said its spokesman, Cmdr. John Harbour. The EU Naval Force said the attack so far out at sea was a clear indication that the EU, NATO and U.S.-led anti-piracy missions were having a "marked effect on pirate activity in the area." "Once they start attacking that far out, you're not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia," said Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the British think tank Chatham House. "Once you're that far out it's just the Indian Ocean, and it means you're looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia, from Asia to southern Africa." The three vessels - the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and 14 - have 77 crew onboard in total. All the crew are Thai, Harbour said. The owner of the vessels is PT Interfishery Ltd. Before the latest hijackings pirates held 11 vessels and 228 crew, said Cyrus Mody of the International Maritime Bureau. The latest hijacking raises those numbers to 14 vessels and 305 crew. Pirates have increased attacks against shipping vessels over the last year in hopes of netting the multi-million dollar ransoms they can earn. Because of increased naval patrols and increased defenses on board commercial vessels, the pirates' success rate has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed about the same year over year. --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pom Michael Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Didn't someone tell these guys that we are busy here? No time for such nonsense as hijackers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasathai1 Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 too bad they don't spray some fuel on the pirates boats and let them decide the next move ( open fire) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Thaksin really has gone too far this time. Of all the underhanded things to pull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Thaksin really has gone too far this time. Of all the underhanded things to pull. I blame the Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Get that Thai carrier force out there to set things right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USVirgin Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 I say they should enlist pirates from the Strait of Malacca and send THEM over to battle it out. Somalian pirates are weak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 One of the docos showed a 'helpless' merchant ship fighting back - direct hit with a flare gun and the entire pirate boat went up in flames. The approaching warship was forced to rescue the pirates - should have just sailed off and left them to the sharks IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 How far the Thai fishermen have fallen since the late 1970s, when their heavily armed fishing boats preyed on Vietnamese refugees and the fishermen even drove off the Thai police boats with heavy automatic weapons fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 Thai fishermen these days are more politically correct. They only hire Burmese migrants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.