Now I know why pirates are spreading

[capcook]

The other day, listening to NPR on the way into work... the reporter was interviewing some men in an African Coastal village. They told this reporter the women in the village would not give them the time of day unless they were a Pirate. Ha, that will difinitely motivate most young men to do just about anything So I expect this problem to get worst before it gets better...

Cheers

[BassAckwards]

Created by sue. Last modified on 2008-07-15 16:45:21
Topic: Piracy
Countries: Venezuela

The recent spate of attacks on cruising yachts in Venezuela has caused alarm among many sailors planning to visit that country. Over the last two years the situation has been visibly deteriorating, with seven reported incidents brought to the attention of noonsite in the last month.

Four Robberies in Porlamar
One Armed Robbery at Pampatar
Armed Boarding NNE of Cacao
Armed Boarding with Violence 10 Miles from Puerto Santos

Jimmy Cornell comments, "although most sailors continue to be concerned about the risk of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and areas close to Somalia, the number of attacks and robberies on cruising yachts in Venezuelan waters has been significantly higher recently.

The only reasonable advice to anyone sailing in the Caribbean is to avoid Venezuela at all costs and not to stray anywhere near its coast or off-lying islands. The authorities are quite clearly doing nothing to control the situation and, if previous reports are true, some of the alleged attackers may have been officials wearing civilian clothing".

Noonsite: Recent Spate of Attacks on Cruising Yachts in Venezuela

[Stillraining]

Yep going to rename my boat for sure..

[GordMay]

Sailing perilous seas by Peter Lehr

Sailing perilous seas | theage.com.au

... Given that the average ransom per vessel is about $US2 million ($A3 million), it is hardly surprising that the port of Eyl, a major pirate lair, has witnessed a veritable boom, with pirates feted by many as local heroes. Some observers estimate that Somali pirates reaped $US30 million in ransom in the first nine months of this year.

Another sum is less frequently mentioned: the estimated $US300 million of fish poached in Somali waters annually by trawlers from nations as far away as Taiwan — or France and Spain, for that matter...

... However, it should be pointed out that conducting anti-piracy patrols in these waters can only ever be half of the solution. The other is to protect Somali waters against illegal fishing, thus giving local fishermen a fair chance to earn a living without turning to crime.

With all the focus on piracy and the "lure of easy money", it is all but forgotten that most Somali fishermen do just that — try to earn a decent living against all odds, and now more and more often in the crossfire of pirates and navies. A deadly catch indeed.

More:
Sailing perilous seas | theage.com.au

[Liberty28]

Henny Youngman, I think (help me GordMay), had an old joke...

"Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do that!!"
"Well, then don't do that!"
"I want a second opinion."
"You're ugly, too!"

Good advice for sailors considering cruising in the playground of pirates.

[amytom]

Originally Posted by GordMay

... However, it should be pointed out that conducting anti-piracy patrols in these waters can only ever be half of the solution. The other is to protect Somali waters against illegal fishing, thus giving local fishermen a fair chance to earn a living without turning to crime.

With all the focus on piracy and the "lure of easy money", it is all but forgotten that most Somali fishermen do just that — try to earn a decent living against all odds, and now more and more often in the crossfire of pirates and navies. A deadly catch indeed.

More:
Sailing perilous seas | theage.com.au

Thank you Gord. Someone had to eventually come up with the true fix to the problem. Give them some other way to feed their families.
Most people in this world would prefer to earn an honest living rather than spend ill gotten wealth. When they don't see anyother way to earn what they consider an honest living they resort to crime.
The big problem in the States and other western countries is people's perceptions of what a living is. Some think that a Mercedes, a HD flat panel, and 3000sqFt house are minimum.

So if the problems in Somalia are the same problems we're having in Philly and Detroit but on a grander scale... don't hold your breath for politicians to fix it.

[ksmith]

There is always an excuse: Drug Dealers are just trying to feed their families, Bank robbers are just out of work auto workers, Pirates are just good hearted fishermen who did not catch fish, shop lifters are just seniors without enough money for food, the guys who steal copper out of houses are just out of work construction workers, the people who blew up two buildings and killed thousands of people were just seaking religous freedom, politicans just tell people what they want to hear and promise them anything to get elected so they can make real changes.

Yea and the Easter Bunny is real

[Tellie]

With all due respect, the "lure of (alot of) easy money" is usually more the reality than the lack of ability to make a living. Pirates who can afford AK-47s, RPGs and speed boats don't exactly strike me as broke and starving. More likely they are the same thugs that terrorize and bully their own people as well. No different than pirates have always been since the invention of the boat. Allow this to go on and these same pirates who are hailed as heroes in their villages will become the crimelords that terrorize their own in short order.

[amytom]

On an individual basis; once they've comitted the crime they are criminals and should be dealt with severely, no excuses.

For society's sake we have to look at why people make the decisions they do and encourage peaceful behavior. Some of that is punishing criminals to provide a deterrent some of that is also providing the positive alternative.

Any parent knows that from raising their kids. Say no then give them something else to play with as you take away the dangerous item.

[dacust]

Originally Posted by ksmith

There is always an excuse: Drug Dealers are just trying to feed their families, Bank robbers are just out of work auto workers, Pirates are just good hearted fishermen who did not catch fish, shop lifters are just seniors without enough money for food, the guys who steal copper out of houses are just out of work construction workers, the people who blew up two buildings and killed thousands of people were just seaking religous freedom, politicans just tell people what they want to hear and promise them anything to get elected so they can make real changes.

Yea and the Easter Bunny is real

You are right in that the original motivation does not excuse the end results. But it is important to keep in mind what the original motivation might have been. Not to decide what to do with the criminals, but to decide what to do with the people that are left. If all you do is get rid of the criminals, but don't change the situation that produced them, you are doomed to just have more criminals arise from the squalor.

Originally Posted by Tellie

With all due respect, the "lure of (alot of) easy money" is usually more the reality than the lack of ability to make a living. Pirates who can afford AK-47s, RPGs and speed boats don't exactly strike me as broke and starving. More likely they are the same thugs that terrorize and bully their own people as well. No different than pirates have always been since the invention of the boat. Allow this to go on and these same pirates who are hailed as heroes in their villages will become the crimelords that terrorize their own in short order.

I don't know the facts, but I'm gonna theorize. The money came from the fishing boats they originally went after. This is not a case of some rich people deciding to go into piracy, it's a case of a starving people building an industry. They started small, now they've gotten big.

Originally Posted by amytom

On an individual basis; once they've comitted the crime they are criminals and should be dealt with severely, no excuses.

For society's sake we have to look at why people make the decisions they do and encourage peaceful behavior. Some of that is punishing criminals to provide a deterrent some of that is also providing the positive alternative.

Any parent knows that from raising their kids. Say no then give them something else to play with as you take away the dangerous item.

This is dead on. We have to look at the entire situation. The criminals have to be dealt with as criminals. The rest of the people may have legitimate problems that we should look at helping them with. Like the poaching of their fishing grounds.

Originally Posted by GordMay

Sailing perilous seas by Peter Lehr

Sailing perilous seas | theage.com.au

... Given that the average ransom per vessel is about $US2 million ($A3 million), it is hardly surprising that the port of Eyl, a major pirate lair, has witnessed a veritable boom, with pirates feted by many as local heroes. Some observers estimate that Somali pirates reaped $US30 million in ransom in the first nine months of this year.

Another sum is less frequently mentioned: the estimated $US300 million of fish poached in Somali waters annually by trawlers from nations as far away as Taiwan — or France and Spain, for that matter...

... However, it should be pointed out that conducting anti-piracy patrols in these waters can only ever be half of the solution. The other is to protect Somali waters against illegal fishing, thus giving local fishermen a fair chance to earn a living without turning to crime.

With all the focus on piracy and the "lure of easy money", it is all but forgotten that most Somali fishermen do just that — try to earn a decent living against all odds, and now more and more often in the crossfire of pirates and navies. A deadly catch indeed.

More:
Sailing perilous seas | theage.com.au

A very constructive post...

-dan

[David M]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Yep going to rename my boat for sure..

To what? I ♥ pirates!

[Little Otter]

On the matter ofdealing with pirates severly the USMC wiped out the barbary pirates and the korean pirates a long time ago by turning bad pirates into good pirates, and if we had enough marines they could do it with the Aden pirates.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by capcook

They told this reporter the women in the village would not give them the time of day unless they were a Pirate.

I listened to the same show.

Can't pull chicks unless you are a pirate?

I knew that females were the root cause here...

[Dave the Canuck]

Originally Posted by amytom

Most people in this world would prefer to earn an honest living rather than spend ill gotten wealth. When they don't see anyother way to earn what they consider an honest living they resort to crime.

Is this not analagous to the Afghanistan poppy harvest? When you can make many times what you'd normally make by growing poppies for the heroin trade, it's hard to go back to making a living growing a legitimate crop. I imagine it'd be similarly difficult for the pirates, who're making a boatload (sorry) of cash and apparently getting all the girls, to go back and eke out a living as substinence fishermen.

They can always go back to making an honest living but it's far more rewarding to make a dishonest living. Greed, unfortunately, rules.

(There may be an investment banking joke in here but I'll leave that
alone.)

[Dave the Canuck]

Like I said...

DAILY NATION*- Somali youth turn to lucrative trade of fishing boats and ships