M
mimus
Guest
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)-- Armed pirates seized a Malaysian palm oil
tanker with 39 crew off the coast of Somalia-- the fourth hijacking in a
month, a global maritime watchdog said Wednesday.
Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting
center in Kuala Lumpur, said the center received a distress signal late
Tuesday about the raid on the MT Bunga Melati Dua and immediately notified
Western naval ships patrolling the area.
An international terrorism task force dispatched a warship to intercept
the tanker, which was heading toward Somalia territorial waters, he said.
"We have had no communication with the vessel so far. The distress call
was relayed through another ship but the tanker has been confirmed seized
by pirates," Choong said.
Once the ship enters Somali waters, Choong said pirates were likely to
demand ransom for the release of the vessel and the crew, he said.
"This is the fourth hijacking in a month . . . . We call upon the U.N.
and the international community to take immediate steps to stop the
worsening situation," he said . . . .
Somalia is the world's biggest piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in
the first half of this year.
The impoverished country has not had a functioning government since 1991
and foreign vessels are frequently seized for ransom by pirates armed with
rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic weapons, making it
difficult and expensive to deliver aid.
In June, the U.N. Security Council voted to allow international warships
to enter Somali waters to combat the problem. But its 1,880-mile
coastline — the longest in Africa — remains virtually unpoliced . . . .
<more:>
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-malaysia-somalia-piracy,0,1442248.story
--
tinmimus99@hotmail.com
smeeter 11 or maybe 12
mp 10
mhm 29x13
You don't know what I see back in this Country. Bribes,
Impersonations, Land Fraud, Scalp-stealing, Ginseng Diversion.
Each Day brings Spectacle ever more disheartening.
< _Mason & Dixon_
tanker with 39 crew off the coast of Somalia-- the fourth hijacking in a
month, a global maritime watchdog said Wednesday.
Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting
center in Kuala Lumpur, said the center received a distress signal late
Tuesday about the raid on the MT Bunga Melati Dua and immediately notified
Western naval ships patrolling the area.
An international terrorism task force dispatched a warship to intercept
the tanker, which was heading toward Somalia territorial waters, he said.
"We have had no communication with the vessel so far. The distress call
was relayed through another ship but the tanker has been confirmed seized
by pirates," Choong said.
Once the ship enters Somali waters, Choong said pirates were likely to
demand ransom for the release of the vessel and the crew, he said.
"This is the fourth hijacking in a month . . . . We call upon the U.N.
and the international community to take immediate steps to stop the
worsening situation," he said . . . .
Somalia is the world's biggest piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in
the first half of this year.
The impoverished country has not had a functioning government since 1991
and foreign vessels are frequently seized for ransom by pirates armed with
rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic weapons, making it
difficult and expensive to deliver aid.
In June, the U.N. Security Council voted to allow international warships
to enter Somali waters to combat the problem. But its 1,880-mile
coastline — the longest in Africa — remains virtually unpoliced . . . .
<more:>
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-malaysia-somalia-piracy,0,1442248.story
--
tinmimus99@hotmail.com
smeeter 11 or maybe 12
mp 10
mhm 29x13
You don't know what I see back in this Country. Bribes,
Impersonations, Land Fraud, Scalp-stealing, Ginseng Diversion.
Each Day brings Spectacle ever more disheartening.
< _Mason & Dixon_