Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon More than 100 Filipino seamen still on the hands of Somali pirates

4/20/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


Of more than 300 hostages pirates keep in captivity off the coast of Somalia, about a third of them are Filipino seamen. On Friday, April 17, 2009, 17 Filipinos have been released leaving about 105 still to be freed.

According to Philippine Foreign Affairs official Esteban Cornejos, a total of 227 Filipino seamen have been abducted in the sea off the Gulf of Aden in 2006 and they were released without government intervention. The country is a leading supplier of seafarers worlwide, numbering about 350,000 who serve as crews of oil carriers, luxury vessels, and passengers ships.

This time more than a hundred Filipino seamen are yet to be released from the clutches of Somali marauders. Malacanang Palace have decided to ban the deployment of Filipino mariners on ships that pass within 200 nautical miles or 300 kilometers from Somali coast.

In spite of the UN Security Councils adoption of Resolution 1838 since October last year calling on nations with boats in the area to use military force to halt piracy at sea, the kidnapping activities of Somali pirates for ransom continue. They have intensified attacks on shipping---causing travel to be more expensive and dangerous.

“Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats this year alone, four times the number assaulted in 2003, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau. They now hold at least 18 ships — including a Belgian tanker seized Saturday with 10 crew aboard ”----AP/MSNBC (04/18/09)

The most recent is the attack on Saturday April 18, 2009, when a Norwegian vessel MV Front Ardenne was attacked by 7 Solmali pirates who were foiled after a 7 hour speed chase by NATO anti-piracy ships and helicopters from Canada and United States. (Photo Credits: Chris & Steve) =0=



==========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Hostage negotiators in Mindanao can learn from the daring rescue of ship captain from Somali pirates

4/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


There are lessons to be learned from the rescue of Richard Phillips, the brave captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, who was taken hostage by pirates in lifeboat drifting in the Indian Ocean during a five-day standoff of ransom extortion.

With the approval of Pres. Barack Obama, three Somali pirates watching Phillips were killed and one was captured last Sunday, April 12, 2009, during the rescue by the US navy sharpshooters. The pirates who tied the ship captain demanded $2 million for the release of the 53 year old Vermont native, one among 200 or more hostages still being held captives by pirates from a dozen ships in the coast of Somalia. Among the hostages had been Filipino seafarers.

As the angry pirates vow to avenge the slay of their companions, Pres. Obama calls for a concerted effort to stop piracy, seeking cooperation among nations. The continuing pirate activity in the Somali Coast revives the call to arm ship crews in commercial vessels.

“Somali officials said piracy started about 10 to 15 years ago as a response to illegal fishing. The country's tuna-rich waters were plundered by commercial fishing fleets soon after its government collapsed in 1991. Somali fishermen turned into armed vigilantes, confronting fishing boats and demanding they pay a tax. In 2008, more than 120 pirate attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden, far more than in any other year in recent memory. Experts said the Somali pirates netted more than $100 million, an astronomical sum for a war-racked country whose economy is in tatters.”----Piracy at Sea, New York Times (04/13/09 )

The successful rescue of Phillips by intrepid US Navy Seals proves that a carefully planned and executed rescue is a viable option when the life of the hostage is in imminent danger and all negotiations to gain freedom fail.

Unsolved ICRC Hostage Crisis in the Philippines

Rescue operation becomes pressing in kidnapping situations in the Philippines as well. To date, two International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers are still being held in the hinterlands of Jolo Sulu. In Lamitan, Basilan, suspected members of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) beheaded one of two hostages they took during a raid in a Christian village and killed another civilian who crossed their path.

Abducted and held at gunpoint since January 2009, 62 year-old Italian Eugenio Vagni and 38 year-old Swiss Andreas Notter remain as captives of the notorious Abu Sayyaf who are reportedly demanding a $5 million for their release. The ICRC and the Philippine government still keep their no-ransom policy in dealing with these Muslim bandits.

Since their abduction in January 2009 by the notorious Al-Qaeda affiliated group, only Mary Jane Lacaba, another ICRC was released. The US embassy in Manila expressed willingness to help solve the hostage crisis, but military and government leaders feel they can solve the protracted standoff on their own. As the captivity of the humanitarian workers drag on, the risk of them being harmed or killed grows. Without paying a ransom, pretty soon authorities need to decide what to do in order to free the victims.(Photo Credit: Reuters/ Phillips family) =0=

========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Ships hijacked by pirates, an earthquake in Indonesia and the decline of RP peso

11/19/2008 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


7

Is the total number of ships hijacked by Somali pirates on since November 5, 2008 in the Aden Gulf. The latest hijacked ships are operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and that of Saudi Arabia, a super oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil. In the past ransoms were paid to recover the ships, but nations are finding ways to foil piracy in the busiest sea lane of the world.

P49.96

At the close of business trading on November 18, 2008, the peso-dollar exchange has floundered close to P50/per dollar. The slide of the peso value is expected to continue as local and foreign effects of recession take its full effect.

7.5

Recorded in the Richter’s scale is strength of the quake that hit Indonesian island Sulawesi on November 17, 2008 which reportedly killed at least 6 persons, toppling houses and injuring scores of people. A tsunami warning from US officials in the area was raised within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the quake’s origin, but was later lifted.

$1.2 billion

Bangko Sentral of the Philippines (BSP,) discloses this amount of deficit in the balance of payments (BOP) mainly attributed to capital flight, weak exports, and payment of maturing obligations. BOP is the record of the country’s transactions with the rest of the world and its deficit in October 2008 reduces this year’s surplus in a 10 month period to $345 million, down from $7.87 billion registered year-on-year.

77

Is the reported number of people who contracted typhoid fever in Quezon. Caused by Salmonella typhosa, the diarrheal disease with systemic manifestations is linked with contaminated water supply. The Department of Health (DOH,) advises boiling of water and frequent hand-washing to counter the spread of the disease. In a separate outbreak, 2 persons died of another diarrheal illness in Misamis Oriental. Reported on 11/18/08, about 1,000 people have sought treatment in the hospital for complaints which are suspicious of cholera. (Photo Credit: by Moody_fingers) =0=
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Topics/Categories

Feedjit Live Blog Stats

Topics/Categories

Add to Technorati Favorites

Ateneo de Naga HS Batch 74

Loading...

ABS-CBN News

Loading...

GMA News.tv

Loading...

Philippine Commentary

Loading...

Inquirer Breaking News

Loading...

Blogger Template created by AVGWEB.