'THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA: Inside Their Hidden World' by Jay Bahadur

[GordMay]

THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA: Inside Their Hidden World
by Jay Bahadur
ISBN-10: 030737906X
ISBN-13: 978-0307379061

With “The Pirates of Somalia”, Jay Bahadur debunks the myths, strips away the lies and takes readers on a dramatic journey through a criminal landscape that shows no signs of ending any time soon. After talking with all those affected by piracy off Somalia, the stark reality of who he’s met on his travels sinks in: “I was struck by the chilling realization that I had shared tea with murderers.”

Excerpt ➥ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/bo...r=1&ref=review

Author Interview ➥ "The Pirates of Somalia," by Jay Bahadur - Author Talk - CBS News

Book Review ➥ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/bo...pagewanted=all

[sdowney717]

Even if they all were eliminated, many more are eager to take their place.
IMO, we make it easy for ships to be taken, no sufficiently armed ships to repel boarders.
Change the maritime laws, let them have what they need to defend the ship.

[sdowney717]

THIS IS WHAT THEY COME UP WITH FOR DEFENSE, A GOLF BALL CANON

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Odd News :: British firm finds weapon to defeat Somali pirates. It's called a golf ball...

[boatman61]

It'll work... once...

[nigel1]

Not seen this posted elsewhere on CF, but it seems they are making a movie of the M. Alabama incident.
My employers are not too happy about it, first getting sued by the crew, and now the movie.

[sabray]

Good read put some in site into the culture.I understand the news from Libya better when they talk about clan and family.here we work hard not to be associated with a entity. There the entity is the only thing that has sustained value. For a young writer he did a good job worth reading. I won't expect the piracy problem to be done with for quite a while.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by sabray

Good read put some in site into the culture.I understand the news from Libya better when they talk about clan and family.here we work hard not to be associated with a entity. There the entity is the only thing that has sustained value. For a young writer he did a good job worth reading. I won't expect the piracy problem to be done with for quite a while.

How do you mean, here we work hard not to be associated with an entity. ( eh religious identity Political party identifty economic class identity, race, social background groupings , Masonic orders , guilds, unions, professional bodies. Etc.

Dave

[sabray]

I mean we put great effort not to burden a person because of their religious, political , sexual orientation or heritage. These are civil liberties that we continue to evaluate. But we put many resource into evaluating our rights and disassociating that from a label of ethnicity religion or value. It is an effort and it is work to treat people with respect even when their values differ from a perceived norm. Somalians have very little and the value placed on their heritage has significant weight. Not sure I explained that think it is a foreign ideology.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by sabray

I mean we put great effort not to burden a person because of their religious, political , sexual orientation or heritage. These are civil liberties that we continue to evaluate. But we put many resource into evaluating our rights and disassociating that from a label of ethnicity religion or value. It is an effort and it is work to treat people with respect even when their values differ from a perceived norm. Somalians have very little and the value placed on their heritage has significant weight. Not sure I explained that think it is a foreign ideology.

I don't think there's much difference between " us" and so called them ( Somalis, etc mainly wealth that's all. So called tribalism is often used to explain the " actions of savages" so as to differentiate them from " civilised people ". Much harm and evil was perpetuated on such " savages" on the back of such debased ideology.

Events in Somalia or Libya, while it may be convenient to ascribe them to " tribalism" are more to do with Western over simplifications. These societies and such upheavals are a complex response to often great social problems. I suspect all societies including our own might react so.

Dave

[Laidback]

Reports just in have Pirates in the Gulf of Aden Killing the Skipper of French catamaran - his wife was abducted - and finally released after Forces were able to hunt down the pirates.

[GordMay]

French catamaran skipper is killed, widow rescued after pirate attack off Somali coast:
Here ➥ Gulf Times ? Qatar?s top-selling English daily newspaper - French catamaran skipper is killed, widow rescued after pirate attack off Somali coast

And ➥ http://www.mysinchew.com/node/63465

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by GordMay

THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA: Inside Their Hidden World
by Jay Bahadur

After talking with all those affected by piracy off Somalia, the stark reality of who he’s met on his travels sinks in: “I was struck by the chilling realization that I had shared tea with murderers.”

Maybe not PC; but in my view murdering thieves give up their "rights" and I don't really care what happens to them! And I don't care about what the murdering thieves use as their justification for their actions!

As long as the rewards outweigh the risks of being a pirate the problem will continue!

[NeptunesTrident]

Originally Posted by sdowney717

THIS IS WHAT THEY COME UP WITH FOR DEFENSE, A GOLF BALL CANON

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Odd News :: British firm finds weapon to defeat Somali pirates. It's called a golf ball...

Seems to me, if they can fire a golf ball out of a cannon, it should be just about right for the 30mm HE round. Which one would be the most effective?

[SteveT]

Piracy is not going to go away and unless it is made a lot more hazardous for the pirates will spread to other areas than the Indian Ocean - it is too profitable. Last year my son (officer in the RN) was on a ship that captured 6 Somali pirates. They were 600 miles from land and had insufficient food / water or fuel to get back. They HAD to hijack a ship to survive. They had failed in an attempt and that was when they got caught. The youngest was about 16 years old but each pirate was promised $100,000 if they managed to bring a ship back to Somalia. That is a phenomenal amount of money in Somalia and is why the supply of pirates is not going to dry up any time soon.

Pirates captured by Russian or Chinese warships are never captured just 'disappeared' - at least according to the rumours going around.

BTW - many commercial ship owners place armed 'sea marshals' on board ships transitting risky areas. No ships carrying armed marshals has been successfully hi-jacked - wonder why.