Somalia: Our Ask Nicely Policy

The only thing odd about those Somali pirates that plunder the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea is how come they are still doing it?

One would have thought they’d have been exterminated by now.

But no, they’re still at it. Not only that, they are alarmingly successful.

Over the weekend, five ships were hijacked – merchant vessels from Britain, France, Germany, Taiwan and Yemen – followed by the piracy of a British and a Taiwanese ship near the Seychelles in the mid-Indian Ocean.

What gives here?

There were some 130 piracy incidents in 2008 with 250 hostages taken (most still awaiting ransom or rescue, somewhere in Somalia). The world’s navies seem incapable of halting this colourful way of earning a living, or extorting money.

News reports tell of a Canadian frigate’s encounter with pirates – which may help explain why these brigands of the sea not only still exist, but seem to operate with impunity when confronted by the world’s navies.

Apparently last weekend, HMCS Ottawa, a frigate and a component of NATO’s counter-piracy mission (Operation Allied Protector) spotted three small pirate skiffs closing in on an Indian merchant ship (the Pacific Opal) in the Arabian Gulf.

Instead of demanding the pirates to surrender or be sunk, the Ottawa’s helicopter hovered between the pirates and the threatened vessel, and dangled a large sign over the side of the helicopter, alongside the chopper’s machine gun, that had the word “Stop” written in Somali.

The news report quoted the Ottawa’s skipper, Cmdr. Craig Baines, as saying: “They got the idea that we don’t like what they’re doing,” and the pirates called off their attack.

Surely peace and security and common sense would have been better served if the Ottawa and its helicopter had given the crews of the three pirate skiffs a one way trip to Davey Jones’ locker, and sunk them?

And then turned their attention to the pirate’s mother ship, from which the three skiffs departed.

At least the captain didn’t apologize for interrupting their activities.

Cmdr. Baines obviously was following NATO orders – likely more “rules of engagement” that plague our soldiers, and inhibit them from firing back unless absolutely necessary, and giving the benefit of any doubts to insurgents.

In the old days, pirates used to be hanged from the yardarm when captured. It didn’t stop piracy, but it at least eliminated pirates one at a time.