Navy: Pirates Hijack South Korean Ship

[warpedskydiver 0]

Navy: Pirates Hijack South Korean Ship
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
4 hours ago

WASHINGTON - Pirates captured a South Korean-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia on Tuesday and efforts by a U.S. Navy ship and a Dutch vessel to intervene were abandoned when members of the South Korean crew were threatened with guns and the ship slipped into Somali territorial waters, the Navy said.

Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said he did not know the number of crew aboard the South Korean vessel, the Dong Won.

It was the latest in a series of incidents off the coast of Somalia. On March 18, two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates, killing one and wounding five. No U.S. sailors were injured. Somalis involved in that incident later claimed they were patrolling Somali waters to stop illegal fishing when the U.S. ships fired on them.

On Tuesday morning, naval ships patrolling international waters in the Persian Gulf region as part of an international Maritime security mission received a radio distress call from the Dong Won, which reported that it had been fired upon about 60 miles off the coast of Somalia, according to a statement issued by 5th Fleet.

Some hours later the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt and the Dutch ship HNLMS Zeven Provincien arrived at the scene. Apparently, by that time the pirates had taken control of the fishing vessel.

Breslau said that when the Dong Won turned toward Somali territorial waters, one or both of the U.S. and Dutch ships tried to intercept it and fired warning shots in its direction. Members of the South Korean crew were seen on the deck of the Dong Won with guns pointed at them, so the intercept effort was broken off, he added.

"The top priority is the safety of innocent lives," the 5th Fleet statement said.

Breslau said the U.S. and Dutch ships remained in the area in international waters to monitor the situation.

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The Navy should have killed everyone as the terrorists will probably kill them anyways

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[champu 1]

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The Navy should have killed everyone as the terrorists will probably kill them anyways

Nah, they'll probably ransom the ship and its crew back to whatever company owns it. From the news reports I've read regarding previous hijackings in that area, it sounds like they are legitimately just interested in money.

What they want the money for well, that's another question.

On a lighter note, I thought this bit was funny:

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On March 18, two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates, killing one and wounding five. No U.S. sailors were injured. Somalis involved in that incident later claimed they were patrolling Somali waters to stop illegal fishing when the U.S. ships fired on them.

[bob.dino 1]

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The Navy should have killed everyone as the terrorists will probably kill them anyways

pirates != terrorists.

I'm getting really fed up with everyone being described as a terrorist these days - it appears to have replaced Communist as a generic term for someone you don't like.

[warpedskydiver 0]

pirates != terrorists.

I'm getting really fed up with everyone being described as a terrorist these days - it appears to have replaced Communist as a generic term for someone you don't like.

[Sick_Of_It_All 0]

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What they want the money for well, that's another question

It's Somalia man... They have no ruling central government. It's a war-torn country with civil war going on since the 1970's. The tsunami devistated their coast. They have very little in way of natural resources, and they have long been one of the poorest and most under-developed countries in the world. They NEED the money, for anything and everything. So what better way than to become a pirate?! Arghh!!

[bob.dino 1]

Terrorists have a political goal. Pirates have a financial goal. They're not the same.

[Amazon 7]

hey at least the right wing terrorists here in the USA have been pretty quiet lately....oh thats right.. they LOVE whats going on in the country.... carry on

[champu 1]

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What they want the money for well, that's another question

It's Somalia man... They have no ruling central government. It's a war-torn country with civil war going on since the 1970's. The tsunami devistated their coast. They have very little in way of natural resources, and they have long been one of the poorest and most under-developed countries in the world. They NEED the money, for anything and everything. So what better way than to become a pirate?! Arghh!!

I imagine any ransom money they make from these hijackings will provide their people with food, clothing, and weapons to fight an ongoing battle for regional influence between tribal leaders and warlords in that country.

Is it terrorism? No. But then we're not talking about Robin of Loxley either.

[Sick_Of_It_All 0]

Desperate measures for desperate people.

[warpedskydiver 0]

terrorists do have financial goals....financing terrorism through criminal acts.

[bob.dino 1]

That's exactly backwards. They have political goals, which they use money to help achieve. Any criminal activity for monetary gain is a byproduct and not an aim in itself.