Tsunami Aid ship Hijacked

[Paul]

BBC

A ship carrying United Nations' food aid to Somali victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami has been hijacked.
The freighter, the MV Semlow, was sailing from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Bossaso in north-eastern Somalia when it was attacked by armed pirates.
Waters off the Somali coast are among the most dangerous in the world, the International Maritime Boards says.
Some 28,000 people who lost their homes and livelihoods when the tsunami struck on 26 December are being fed by the UN.
Somalia is awash with some 60,000 militia men and has been without a functioning national government since 1991, which hampered relief efforts to tsunami victims.
Attempts to relocate a new tranisitional administration - set up in neighbouring Kenya last year - back home have so far failed.
The 10-member crew onboard when the MV Semlow was captured by gunmen on Monday morning between Haradhere and Hobyo, some 300km (190 miles) northeast of capital Mogadishu, are reported to be safe.
"The hijackers are asking for $500,000 but we've told them we're just a small boat with relief cargo to feed your Somali people," Inayet Kudrati, director of the Kenya-based Mokatu Shipping Agency which leased the ship to the UN, told Reuters news agency.

[Jules]

That is bad

[marky]

its a very bad sad world and it makes me sad when i hear of things like this

[AndrewJ]

That is sick wrong, and the gunmen are just cruel evil and should be fed to the sharks.

Who in the right mind could do something so evil.

Makes me fume.

[punky]

Why wasn't it given an armed escort? A boat on a mission like this shouldn't have sailed into those waters without one.

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by punky

Why wasn't it given an armed escort? A boat on a mission like this shouldn't have sailed into those waters without one.

Escorted by who? If the ship was in Somalian waters, even though there is anarchy out there I doubt you could send a British/French warship into territorial waters without causing a diplomatic incident. It might have been better to ship the aid South from Saudi rather than North from Kenya.

Another unfortunate case where the greedy scum in Africa are exploiting the suffering of others

[AndrewJ]

Hmmm so dont take a warship as it could promote a relation issues worldwide.

Okay give them a submarine.

[punky]

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Escorted by who?

UN peacekeepers for a start. They have to be better than noth... erm, nevermind

Seriously though, UN peacekeepers should have shadowed it. Failing that like you said, an armed ship from another country. This is only a few pirates on 1 ship with small arms. You don't need to send in aircraft carriers.

I doubt you could send a British/French warship into territorial waters without causing a diplomatic incident.

Any other country, maybe, but Somalia has no real government to have a diplomatic incident with.

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by punky

UN peacekeepers for a start. They have to be better than noth... erm, nevermind

Seriously though, UN peacekeepers should have shadowed it. Failing that like you said, an armed ship from another country. This is only a few pirates on 1 ship with small arms. You don't need to send in aircraft carriers.



Any other country, maybe, but Somalia has no real government to have a diplomatic incident with.

go back to 1993 and they did no good then , cant see them helping now , agreed though , it is a real shame

[AndrewJ]

Give them a carrier like to see someone hijack that.

[Maggy J]

I like the idea of the submarine myself...It would scare the cr@p out of them...

[AndrewJ]

One little fragile merchant ship comes under attack, 35 Submarines rise out with guns aimed.

*cackle*