Pirates, Reaction, World Navy/LOST/New Wars in Africa [OBAMA DECEPTION]

[Godsent]

What happened to the B.S About "We don't negotiate with terrorists" If that was true the captain and all the so called pirates would be fish food.

[Godsent]

I've just been listening to Friday's show refeed and it seems that Jones has caught a dose of the "stupid American" disease about this...

"Bomb Somali ports" says Jones ?? "They've reverted to stealing and theivery and have to be stopped". Because an American ship has been hijacked..that is woeful ignorance on the scale of his "couple of Israelis a week get killed by Hamas rockets" ridiculousness.

The UIC (United Islamic Courts) provided an effective government in Somalia that had the consent and support of the Somali people..so the CIA thought it would be cool to use the Ethiopians to invade and install a puppet regime...which failed miserably because the Somalis are not slaves and will not accept anyone's dominion. And that's what this piracy is about - an assertion of sovereignty and defending themselves from rape and robbing.

I have to agree with you. Alex may have been asleep at the wheel on this one.

[Hawkwind]

i think we were lied to about the "courageous American superheros who regained the ship from the villains with AK47's" that story stinks to high heaven... the pirates probably just walked off the ship casually cause they knew spec ops would be coming

[Dig]

I have to agree with you. Alex may have been asleep at the wheel on this one.

surprise, surprise the sock puppet agrees. really you can't at least try harder than that?

[Q]

"Bomb Somali ports" That's quite easy to turn around. Let's imagine someone from Iraq said something along these lines: "I didn't really like it when they dumped their depleted Uranium in my country and starved my children to death with their sanctions, but now they've reverted to thievery and stealing. They took over the entire country and stole all our oil! They have to be stopped. We need to bomb American ports!"
The moment Alex voices his support for the bombing of American ports he doesn't come across as a hypocrite when he talks about bombing Somalian ports. But I remember hearing him talk about some family member he has that's in the military so I assume that's not going to happen.

I'm not sure if your Iraqi example works...or maybe I can't get my head round it..but I agree with your point (I think).

[David Rothscum]

I'm not sure if your Iraqi example works...or maybe I can't get my head round it..but I agree with your point (I think).

It's not that difficult. If people from Somalia hijacking American ships to demand ransom means that the US gets to bomb Somalian ports, people from Iraq get to bomb American ports since people from America came in and stole their oil. And perhaps we should have bombed Israeli ports as well after the USS liberty got bombed. Anyway, the point is you can't just bomb the crap out of some group of people somewhere because some people in that region did something you don't like.

[Q]

Is  it at all possible to actually do some research and post material rather than just spending every waking hour bashing AJ who is responsible for us having this forum in the first place?

Just curious.

What I posted is accurate including my referenced criticism of Jones - as you know - which is why you made the generalised "you're AJ bashing" complaint. Jones is a big boy and can take criticism and defend himself if necessary.

Also, I don't have any sock puppets here so I suggest you calm down and stop insulting people.

[Q]

It's not that difficult. If people from Somalia hijacking American ships to demand ransom means that the US gets to bomb Somalian ports, people from Iraq get to bomb American ports since people from America came in and stole their oil. And perhaps we should have bombed Israeli ports as well after the USS liberty got bombed. Anyway, the point is you can't just bomb the crap out of some group of people somewhere because some people in that region did something you don't like.

Yes and particularly when in this case it is the US interference and proxy actions that caused the current situation in Somalia...so a modified analogy might be that the US should get to nuke the Iraqis for daring to resist and re-assert their independence.

Bob Chapman was right when he said that the Europeans should settle with the Somalis financially - pay damages for fishing abuses and dumping. But there's the same ludicrous political problem with that as with dealing with Hamas..but that's the solution imo.

[Tsul777]

A vessel docked in Mombasa port in Kenya has 'pirate scarecrows prominently displayed on the top deck on 11 April 2009. These scarecrows have recently begun to appear on vessels in the past couple of months in hopes of detering Somali pirates

Come and attack us! We're obviously undercrewed and totally defenseless! WTF?

[Hawkwind]

i bet the Somalians have a jolly old laugh at those scarecrows...

 

[Godsent]

surprise, surprise the sock puppet agrees. really you can't at least try harder than that?

I said "may have" cut me some slack I am not A sock puppet dammit , Anytime a Government Op's ship is in trouble it would seem to me that their might be a little more than meets the eye. I may be wrong Alex may have had enough free time to  check into it .. If that is the case. I say bomb them also. I am just not sure this is the same bunch that has been hijacking the cruise ships.

[Dig]

What I posted is accurate including my referenced criticism of Jones - as you know - which is why you made the generalised "you're AJ bashing" complaint. Jones is a big boy and can take criticism and defend himself if necessary.

Also, I don't have any sock puppets here so I suggest you calm down and stop insulting people.

BTW, do you have a clip of the show or can give a time stamp for the discussion?

that would be helpful.

thanks

[David Rothscum]

I said "may have" cut me some slack I am not A sock puppet dammit , Anytime a Government Op's ship is in trouble it would seem to me that their might be a little more than meets the eye. I may be wrong Alex may have had enough free time to  check into it .. If that is the case. I say bomb them also. I am just not sure this is the same bunch that has been hijacking the cruise ships.

Bomb them? I thought we were all about non-violent resistance. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, that kind of stuff. We fight mass murderers by writing angry posts on the internet and videotaping ourselves while calling them scum, but we fight pirates by bombing the ports of the country they live in? How many people do you have to kill to turn from someone who just has to be killed into someone who has to be "exposed"?

[Dig]

Bomb them? I thought we were all about non-violent resistance. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, that kind of stuff. We fight mass murderers by writing angry posts on the internet and videotaping ourselves while calling them scum, but we fight pirates by bombing the ports of the country they live in? How many people do you have to kill to turn from someone who just has to be killed into someone who has to be "exposed"?

precisely why an actual clip of the discussion would be helpful.

then a link to this thread emailed to AJ might also be helpful.

Also, please assist this dicussion and actual evidence by researching "Maersk-Nuclear Waste Disposal-Toxic Waste Disposal-Sustainable Development-Carbon Collection-RFID"

The media continues to relate this entire story to the captain rather than the Danish Corporation Maersk.

If we can start to expose that corporation and its agenda, then perhaps more light can shine on this situation.

[David Rothscum]

precisely why an actual clip of the discussion would be helpful.

then a link to this thread emailed to AJ might also be helpful.

Also, please assist this dicussion and actual evidence by researching "Maersk-Nuclear Waste Disposal-Toxic Waste Disposal-Sustainable Development-Carbon Collection-RFID"

The media continues to relate this entire story to the captain rather than the Danish Corporation Maersk.

If we can start to expose that corporation and its agenda, then perhaps more light can shine on this situation.

Currently recording.

[Godsent]

Bomb them? I thought we were all about non-violent resistance. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, that kind of stuff. We fight mass murderers by writing angry posts on the internet and videotaping ourselves while calling them scum, but we fight pirates by bombing the ports of the country they live in? How many people do you have to kill to turn from someone who just has to be killed into someone who has to be "exposed"?

I should have been more accurate Alex did not say to bomb them, He was suggesting doing away with there ports so they cannot launch pirate attacks.

And it may are may not be a bad idea. I really don't know.

[Dig]

I should have been more accurate Alex did not say to bomb them, He was suggesting doing away with there ports so they cannot launch pirate attacks.

And it may are may not be a bad idea. I really don't know.

Wait, WTF?  Q, aren't you the one who first started this "Bomb them" conversation?

[Q]

Wait, WTF?  Q, aren't you the one who first started this "Bomb them" conversation?

Don't panic, Jones said what I quoted during hour 2 of Friday 04/10 show.

BTW, since you're pursuing this line, Jones also said that the Somali pirates were thoroughly evil and indulge in "raping and killing" - there's no evidence for this. He also said that the pirates should probably have all been killed to prevent future occurences. You will hear all these remarks during Friday's show. Should I make a youtube clip of it?

This is obviously a blind spot of his - everyone has them - and to Jones' credit he usually admits to them afterward.



 

[David Rothscum]

Don't panic, Jones said what I quoted during hour 2 of Friday 04/10 show.

BTW, since you're pursuing this line, Jones also said that the Somali pirates were thoroughly evil and indulge in "raping and killing" - there's no evidence for this. He also said that the pirates should probably have all been killed to prevent future occurences. You will hear all these remarks during Friday's show. Should I make a youtube clip of it?

This is obviously a blind spot of his - everyone has them - and to Jones' credit he usually admits to them afterward.
 

Part of that is in the 1st hour. I just recorded it.

[Q]

Part of that is in the 1st hour. I just recorded it.

Yep the whole topic spanned the first 2 hours but the "Bomb the ports" part is in hour 2 near the beginning as I recall.

It was a total mess in fact because Jones effectively contradicts many of his themes during this whole topic.

[hellcatjr]

I think this is more so a way for the globalists to kick China out of Somalia to take over the remaining resources that China has secured through trade agreements since 1963.

But wtf do I know.

[Dig]

Don't panic, Jones said what I quoted during hour 2 of Friday 04/10 show.

BTW, since you're pursuing this line, Jones also said that the Somali pirates were thoroughly evil and indulge in "raping and killing" - there's no evidence for this. He also said that the pirates should probably have all been killed to prevent future occurences. You will hear all these remarks during Friday's show. Should I make a youtube clip of it?

This is obviously a blind spot of his - everyone has them - and to Jones' credit he usually admits to them afterward.
 

He said "bomb them"?

[David Rothscum]

Confirmed. Alex said they need to bomb their ports.

[freeyrmind]

anybody think this is the crises Biden was talking about when he said someone would test Obama? I ask this cause on the front page of fox's site they have a pic of Obama imposed in front of the ship and the question "What will he do?" underneath.

[Dok]

Pirates seize Italian-flagged tugboat, 16 crew 11 Apr 2009 19:56:38 GMT
Source: Reuters
 (Adds comment by boat's Italian owner)

By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI, April 11 (Reuters) - Pirates captured an Italian-flagged tugboat with 16 crew including 10 Italians on Saturday, in the latest hijacking in the busy Gulf of Aden.

The tugboat, with enough fuel and food on board to last a month, was believed to be heading toward the Somali coast, the head of the Italian company that owns the boat told Reuters.

"I've entered into contact with the families (of the crew)," Claudio Bartolotti, head of Ravenna-based Micoperi Srl, said, adding there were also five Romanians and one Croatian on board.

Bartolotti denied reports the 75-metre-long tugboat was U.S.-owned, saying his company had recently purchased it.

NATO alliance officials on a warship in the region had previously described the boat as U.S.-owned, Italian-flagged.

Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the tugboat's crew were believed to be unharmed.

He said the tugboat was towing two barges at the time of capture but there were no details about their cargo.

"This incident shows the pirates are becoming more daring and violent," Mwangura told Reuters by phone.

NATO alliance officials on board the Portuguese warship NRP Corte-Real, which is patrolling the Gulf of Aden, said a distress call came from the MV Buccaneer tugboat but communications were lost six minutes later.

Bartolotti said he received an email around midday (1000 GMT) informing him that the pirates had taken the ship. He said it came from the tugboat captain's email address but did not appear to be written by him.

He said calls to the boat so far had not been answered.

Bartolotti said he had received word that an Italian navy warship, the Maestrale, was heading toward the area where the tugboat was hijacked.

Somali pirates have stepped up attacks in March after a lull at the start of 2009.

International interest has focused this week on the plight of an American hostage, Richard Phillips, held by four pirates on a lifeboat flanked by U.S. naval warships in a high seas standoff since Wednesday. (Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Rome, Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi and Alison Bevege on the NRP Corte-Real; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LB80287.htm

[Dok]

bring in the microwaves !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpjxjLRKqw8

Sit back and watch pirates pop out of the water ....

Mercenaries, Sonic Blasters No Match for Pirates

Mercenaries, Sonic Blasters No Match for Pirates
Sonic blasters and private security teams have been billed as some of the best bets to ward off pirates. But an incident off the coast of Somalia is calling the sound weapons' -- and the guards' -- effectiveness into question.

There have been more than a hundred pirate incidents in east African waters this year; in one of the latest attacks, would-be-hijackers fired on a U.S. cruise ship, before speeding away. The world's navies say they'll never have enough ships to effectively patrol the 1.1 million square mile region. So mercenary companies big and small have offered up their protective services. Meanwhile, admirals and shipping magnates alike are touting the idea of less-lethal weaponry, like the Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, as a technological fix.

Late last week, pirates stormed a Liberian-flagged cargo tanker, the MV Biscaglia, which was carrying a cargo of palm oil. This ship wasn't completely defenseless, however. A team of three private guards from AntiPiracy Maritime Security Solutions (AMPSS) were aboard. They didn't have firearms -- it's "almost impossible to carry firearms through Customs and on to vessels in most countries," as the Times of London notes. But they did have a sonic weapon. The LRAD shoots out a concentrated blast of 150 decibels worth of noise; vessels have used the machine to send pirates running, before. The U.S. Navy already has 45 of the sonic blasters, and is in the market for more.

On board the Biscaglia, however, the blaster didn't work. The pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s at the weapon; the guards jumped off of the ship, and into the Gulf of Aden. "It now seems that the failure of the company's LRADs was a major factor in its seeming inability to prevent the capture of the ship. It is now openly being asked whether or not they are up to the job," writes Lloyd's List, the influential shipping journal.   


LRADs generate noise levels of around 150 dB, which is well above the maximum legal limit in the music clubs so popular with young people today, for instance.

But older readers of an age to remember 1970s rock shows by the likes of Motörhead and the Ramones regularly subjected their tender young ears to blasts measured at around 148 dB for those at the front of the gig, and thoroughly enjoyed it. [although, as Sparks points out in the comments, decibels are logarithmic, so 150 is still a whole lot louder than 148 -- ed.]

"What I am saying is that the pirates were basically laughing at our guys while shooting them out. LRADs don't work when they take an AK-47 round through them," APMSS principal Nick Davis tells Lloyd's List.

Davis' security firm currently has six, similarly-equipped teams of three "booked out to various shipowners, at £8,000-£12,000 per trip."

Former gun-for-hire Eeben Barlow says a company hiring such a team is "taking a knife to a gunfight – they are bound to lose."

Cheap solutions usually deliver cheap results – or in this instance, gave the shipping company a false sense of security but will cost, in the long run, a lot more than they bargained for. A counter-piracy team must be able to give more to a shipping company than simply a warm, fuzzy feeling. These men need to be armed with real weapons, with real bullets and take every action possible to prevent the pirates even approaching the ship they are supposed to be protecting.

Chris Austen, the chief executive of Maritime and Underwater Security Consultants, is worried that amateur mercenaries may jump into the pirate-fighting game -- much like they did after the Iraq invasion. "One of the things we always see in times like this is the sudden proliferation of people trying to call themselves experts in this kind of business and they will go out unprepared not understanding the dynamics of this kind of business," he tells Al Jazeera. "My concern is that something will go badly wrong with people going out who don't have the right kind of experience." 

Meanwhile, NATO forces are starting to use helicopters to deter pirate strikes. Today, the helos chased off what may have been the biggest pirate strike to date: as many as 20 ships, perhaps.

Cadets at the Merchant Marine Academy are being taught some pretty basic anti-pirate tactics: lighting up the ship, traveling very quickly and running water from fire hydrants and hoses on deck to discourage would-be attackers.

“I’ve known ships that put plywood and cardboard cutouts of people all over the deck,” one instructor tells the Bangor Daily News. “If pirates think there’s a lot of people watching them, they’re going to take the easy ship instead.”

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/piratemerc-late.html
http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=73213.msg398530#msg398530

[Dig]

Confirmed. Alex said they need to bomb their ports.

well that sucks. My apologies to Q and Godsent.

[Dig]

anybody think this is the crises Biden was talking about when he said someone would test Obama? I ask this cause on the front page of fox's site they have a pic of Obama imposed in front of the ship and the question "What will he do?" underneath.

doubt it, this is a relatively small incident that seems to be exploited to give more fuel for the LOST insanity.  Biden's false flag seems more likely to be cyberterror/birdflue.

You can find the cyberterror evidence here: http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?board=389.0

And the birdflue evidence here: http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?board=348.0

[David Rothscum]

http://rapidshare.com/files/220221454/alexbombsomalia.wav.html
This only allows 10 downloads. But my windowsmovie maker crashes when i start it, so there's no way for me to turn this into a video and upload it to youtube.

[David Rothscum]

It does expose a double standard doesn't it?

A scientific oligarchy of ruthless men has taken control over the Western world, injected us with cancer viruses, braindamaged us, reduced our lifespans, sterilized us, murdered millions, invented HIV and is now preparing to release plagues to kill billions more:
"Blahblahblah Gandhi blahblah Martin Luther King blahblahblah don't riot, that's just what they want blahblahblah expose them blahblah non-violence blahblahblah fight them in the infowar blahblahblah right to a fair trial blahblahblah..."

A bunch of malnutrated poor fishermen living in a third world hellhole that doesn't even have anything resembling a central government have been the victim of Western corporations that dump their toxic waste in their sea and destroyed their source of income, and now risk their lives by claiming to be Somalia's coastguard and taking people hostage in exchange for cash:
"BOMB THEM!!! BOMB THEIR PORTS!!! SMART MISSILE BOMB THE PORTS!!! FIGHT EM!!!!"

[deconstructmyhouse]

Somalia: in the crosshairs of NWO

IMO anytime the MSM froths up sentiment against a country (or radio talk show host) via incidents such as piracy...you can be sure there is another (truer) story.  Below is a take on Ethiopia and Somalia: it seems obvious Somalia is fighting for it's existence. 
Piracy? How bout desperate survival tactics waged against a spreading NWO global cancer.

New World Order and Somalia:  from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/somalia-loosing-identity-will-ethiopia-alter-the-demography.html
Ethiopia is the ambassador of New World Order (NWO) in East Africa; the U.S.A and Israel are the major sponsors of the order. NWO's main target is Al-Qaeda and other Muslim Jihadist elements, this has given Ethiopia to play role of the force eliminating Al-Qaeda in Somalia. Washington administration legalized Ethiopian invasion in Somalia and IGAD, UN and AU defined the invasion as self defense. NWO is a plan to destabilize the Islamic world demography including Middle East. After U.S invasion in Iraq, Washington administration represented "The Great New Middle East", which delimits the official borders between the countries, and extends Israeli border into more Arab land.

Somalia, been part of Muslim and Arab World is facing similar danger from crusader forces including U.S, Ethiopia, etc... Bush Administration supports Ethiopia to occupy Somalia and violate integrity of border between Ethiopia and Somalia. Ethiopia doesn´t have access to the sea; Eritrea locked in the north; Somalia in east and Kenya in South East. If the state of Somalia fails, Ethiopia will be killing two birds by one stone. First it ends the rival enemy Somalia and second Ethiopia gets access to the sea water.

Somalia is passing through difficult times, the people need to unite against foreign invasion and forget their differences. The Somalis should understand that Ethiopia is very dangerous to their existence.

By, Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi, Email: az.almutairi@yahoo.com

Somalia loosing identity: will Ethiopia alter the demography?
Ethiopian government is planning to create demography imbalance in Somalia, in order to have its own christian people inside Somalia.
In 27th May 1988, once war erupted in northern regions of Somalia – now, independent Somaliland – the displaced refuges from Hargiesa, Burao and Berbera made shift into UN refuge camps in Ethiopia for three years. The children in the camps attended schools in Ethiopia and some learn Amhari, the official language of Ethiopia, fluently. As the children had no other option except to learn in Ethiopian Schools, becuase of the Somali government bombed their houses. Three years later, the war spread to southern parts of the country, and Mogadishu fall into violence. This, also, resulted millions of Somalis in the south to flee to Ethiopia and Kenya, which makes 50% of Somali people outside their country as refugees. Other large number of Somalis traveled far into North America, Europe and Middle East. In same decade, Former Ethiopian President Megisto Haile Mariam was overthrown by coup led by Prime Minister Meleze Sanawi on 1991. Ethiopian human rights record and economy changed from better to most awful, which forced thousands of former Ethiopian soldiers and government employees to leave the country. These Ethiopians settled in Somalia and others made their way to Middle East mainly to the oil rich Arabian Gulf.

One of the Ethiopian immigrants, Genet Mengesha, a 24-year-old mother of one and former university student, told Reuters News Agency at Port City of Bosasso, Somalia that she lost her brother and sister during public uprising against Meleze Sanawi in 2005. "It was not save for me to continue living in Ethiopia, because of the authorities were hunting those participated in the upraising." She added we are living in Somalia and there is no plan to go back to our homeland until Meleze regime is active. Somali news websites unveiled Ethiopian soldiers deserting the violence in Mogadishu and illegally immigrating to Gulf of Arabia. Earlier of 2007, Yemeni authorities arrested thousands of Ethiopian soldiers escaping from the violence in Somalia. In the same manner, other Ethiopian civilians settle in Somalia running away from human rights abuses by Meleze Sanawi. This, relocation of Ethiopian citizens into Somali territories, may lead to demography change.

In other hand, Somalis take Ethiopian citizenship Identity Cards from Somali dominated regions of Ethiopia, mainly in the eastern. It is very difficult to distinguish between the Somalis inside Ethiopia and Somalis inside Somalia, as long as, both speak same language. The Somalis cross the borderline between Ethiopia and Somalia because Somalis dominate in both sides of the border. Seventy percent of Somalis are nomads and live in rural areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. They shift based on rain falls between the aforesaid countries. The Somalis in Ethiopia and Somalia may cross the borderline into Djibouti with his cattle or camels in different areas of the border, which makes the authorities difficult to control their movement.

Somalis do mainly business with Emirate of Dubai and the authorities in Dubai rejects the use of the Somali passport, after many fake cases were arrested. The lack of government to control the Passport resulted wide misuse, which formed many immigration authorities around the world to stop the use of Somali Passport in their countries including western countries like USA and UK. Somalis cannot get visa using their own passport in many embassies including abovementioned countries. This forced many Somalis to look for passport, so they can travel freely. Some Somalis got western passports and others who could not go to the west took up the Ethiopian passports. Somali news website (www.afnugaal.com) recently published analysis on Ethiopian plan to change the demography of Somalia by dispatching thousands of its citizens into Somalia to alter demography. The analysis highlighted thousands of families of the Ethiopian soldiers overtaking the homes of displaced Somalis in Mogadishu with support of Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS), in addition to massive Ethiopian immigration to Somalia.

Reuters wrote that Somali pirates in Bosasso, Puntland, charge between $50-100 per human, and they cram hundreds of people at a time into small rickety boats intended to carry much lighter cargo. It is unfortunate to hear that future of thousands of Somalis remains unknown and Yemeni authorities trying to avoid such massive refuges who are taking such risky trip to reach oil rich countries. This cannot be described as search of better life as chances of making through such difficult trip is minimal. There are large refuge camps for Somalia in UK, Germany, Canada, and Scandinavian countries in addition to African countries like Kenya and Djibouti, which places more than 50% of Somalis outside Somalia. The immigration and citizenship of majority of western countries allows the expatriates to take their nationality after certain period of time, which enabled many Somalis to become citizens of other countries.

In 2006, Ethiopian Prime Minister Melese Zenawi announced his vision of a "Two State Solution" for Somalia slicing the Republic of Somaliland off Somalia. Zenawi stressed his vision provides an effective substitute to the traditional and failed approach of "The Unity of Great Somalia". The question lingering in my mind is, will slice Somalia into two will be helpful or not?! This Ethiopian proposal of Two State Solution can turn against Ethiopia, because this solution will result democratic and strong Somaliland. Surely, Somalilanders are the only people who can solve the current Somali conflict because of their knowledge in Somali culture and stupidity and narrow thinking of the current Transitional government of Somalia.

Somaliland had history of solving the crisis in the south Somalia, like 1960 after violence erupted in Mogadishu. The first Somali government used the Somaliland Scouts to bring the law and order in Mogadishu. General Daoud brought the idea of getting Scouts into Mogadishu Streets. Somaliland Scouts were well-training and equipped military force established by British. After armed vehicles of the Somaliland Scouts rolled into Mogadishu Streets, everybody was scared and remained inside their houses, particularly after the Somaliland Scouts imposed curfew on Mogadishu. This is the quality of Somalilanders in 1960 and today their Somaliland Army is stronger, bolder and has better training. So, Somalis should let Somaliland go and get their problems solved. This is give and take business.

Demarcating the border:
Ethiopia is planning to erase Somali-Ethiopian border from the international map, which will give Ethiopia free sea access. Somalia will always carry the emotional scars cause by Ethiopia in next 100 years. This will marginalize the Somali identity.

Beginning of 2007, Former Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Affairs at TGS Hussein Aided spilled the beans after he unveiled the Ethio-TGS agenda to demarcate the border between Somalia and Ethiopia. The plan was to unite Ethiopia and Somalia under leadership of Addis Ababa. Aided publicly rejected the old enmity between Ethiopia and Somalia, and described Ethiopia as friend and close ally to Somali government. Such statement shocked the Somali public and many withdrawn their support from TGS. This made many Somalis to realize the danger of the TGS is graver than its failure to restore law and order.

Ethiopia involved in Somali conflict last 20 years, including its support to Somali guerilla fighters like SSDF and SNM against Siyad Barre – Somali President from 1969 - 1991. Ethiopia supplied arms and trained these fighters until the collapse of Siyad Barre government in 1991. And in Dec 2006, Ethiopia and USA supported the warlords against the Islamic Courts Union. After the collapse of Megisto Haile Mariam administration in 1991, Ethiopia involved in Somali affairs very heavily and with new policy. Ethiopia formed mercenary warlords in Mogadishu to carry out it´s agendas.

Illegitimate future UN Census in Somalia:
The analysis of the website (www.afnugaal.com) forecasted an agenda between U.S.A and Ethiopia with help of Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS) to ask United Nation (UN) to conduct a census on population living inside Somalia as the country had no proper government in last two decades. The predicted survey will include the thousands of Ethiopian immigrants in Somalia in the counting as citizens of Somalia. U.S.A and Ethiopia will instruct TGS to invite UN to carry out the survey. The population of Somalia is about 10 million according to last official census in 1985 by Somali government. On the other hand, Ethiopia is more than 60 million, which means immigrating only 5% of Ethiopian population will create social and demography imbalance in Somalia. This is exactly similar plan used by Israel to occupy Holy land of Palestine. Melese Sanawi told his parliament last month that Ethiopia will remain inside Somalia until Islamist finishes. But the question lingering in my mind is how will the Islamists be finished in Somalia, as long as the people are 100% Muslims?

This clearly means that Ethiopia will always remain in Somalia. Ethiopia will keep mercenary government in power like TGS and its leader Abdullah Yusuf, the "Yes Boss". Humbleness of TGS against Ethiopia: Abdullah Yusuf cannot decide without consulting to his master in Addis Ababa. Even running the affairs of his own country, he needs Ethiopian approval to make a decision. In other meaning, Ethiopia is running the country and Abdullah Yusuf is good manager to carry out his boss´s recommendations.

Ethiopia did not forget Muslim heroes who destroyed their illegitimate kingdoms in 15th and 16th centuries including Ahmed Guray. Ethiopia knows, if Somalia builds strong military muscles then they will be the subject of exercise due to their illegal occupation to some Somali regions like Reserve Area. Ethiopia has agents in many parts of Somalia including Puntland, who handed over five Somalis to Ethiopia.

In other hand, Arab and Islamic World failed to assist Somalis to fight against Ethiopian invasion. Recently, Ethiopia cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, after accusing Qatar for supporting Somali fighters against Ethiopia. Ethiopia receives support from U.S.A by the name of Jesus Christ, why not Somalia also plays similar card with Islamic world. Six months ago, Somali websites circulated report saying that Ethiopian Military Commander in Mogadishu slapped the face of the TGS President Abdullah Yusuf twice at Villa Somalia – The President's residence – and Abdullah Yusuf failed to response. Many Somalis described it as requital.

[angndon]

Weren't the somali pirates going after cruise ships earlier?  Wonder what that was all about?

[Dig]

It does expose a double standard doesn't it?

A scientific oligarchy of ruthless men has taken control over the Western world, injected us with cancer viruses, braindamaged us, reduced our lifespans, sterilized us, murdered millions, invented HIV and is now preparing to release plagues to kill billions more:
"Blahblahblah Gandhi blahblah Martin Luther King blahblahblah don't riot, that's just what they want blahblahblah expose them blahblah non-violence blahblahblah fight them in the infowar blahblahblah right to a fair trial blahblahblah..."

A bunch of malnutrated poor fishermen living in a third world hellhole that doesn't even have anything resembling a central government have been the victim of Western corporations that dump their toxic waste in their sea and destroyed their source of income, and now risk their lives by claiming to be Somalia's coastguard and taking people hostage in exchange for cash:
"BOMB THEM!!! BOMB THEIR PORTS!!! SMART MISSILE BOMB THE PORTS!!! FIGHT EM!!!!"

Yup, I guess AJ is human after all. Who would have guessed it.  Good thing this is by far the exception and not the rule for him.  For example in over 4,000 hours of broadacsts, I do nopt think that more than 5 hours can be found to point to what we have noticed with these less than a few minutes.  So that means that he most likely human and quite possibly could make mistakes (heaven forbid).  From the numbers looks like he is non hypocritical over 99% of the time.  I sure am glad I never thought he was god.

[David Rothscum]

Yup, I guess AJ is human after all. Who would have guessed it.  Good thing this is by far the exception and not the rule for him.  For example in over 4,000 hours of broadacsts, I do nopt think that more than 5 hours can be found to point to what we have noticed with these less than a few minutes.  So that means that he most likely human and quite possibly could make mistakes (heaven forbid).  From the numbers looks like he is non hypocritical over 99% of the time.  I sure am glad I never thought he was god.

Alex grows a bunch of good fruit with a few rotten apples every now and then, and the same probably goes for all of us. That's why you won't hear me say that Alex is a CIA Cointelpro zionist mockingbird disinfo agent troll provocateur or anything like that.

I do wish people would make up their mind when it comes to (non-)violence. It's all rather confusing to me now. For example: A guy calling 9/11, getting pissed off at the woman at the other side of the line, leaving his house and shooting the robbers that were just leaving his neighbours house is patriotic I'm told. A parent whose son was badly affected by the chemical lobotomy at 18 months and is kind of bothered by the fact that he's now slamming his head against the wall and wants to die and pays a visit to the people responsible is seen as a CIA Cointelpro zionist mockingbird disinfo agent troll provocateur (right?). This is the general consensus.

It seems you're only supposed to go after the petty criminals sometimes. The bigger criminals get blog posts.

[Dig]

Shipping Carbon Dioxide to Sea for Burial
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/shipping-carbon-dioxide-to-sea-for-burial/?pagemode=print
By James Kanter March 13, 2009, 1:07 pm New York Times

A.P. Moller-Maersk A large Danish shipping company says it can carry greenhouse gases to burial under the seabed, as an alternative to pipelines.

Building new pipelines to transport and ultimately bury greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, captured from industry and power plants, is rather expensive — a potential impediment to the spread of the technology known as carbon capture and sequestration, or C.C.S.

A.P. Moller-Maersk, a large Danish shipping and oil company, said it might have part of the solution.

On the sidelines of an international climate change conference in Copenhagen, Maersk announced this week that it was exploring ways of delivering the gases directly to burial sites using specially designed sea vessels, initially in the area of the North Sea.

That’s important because the success of C.C.S., which may take years to develop on a commercial scale, partly depends on moving gases efficiently to depleted oil and gas wells or aquifers — the chief proposed burial spots for captured CO2. Many of these potential CO2 tombs can be found below the seabed.

Maersk Tankers, a division of A.P. Moller-Maersk, already operates liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas carrier ships, while Maersk Oil operates wells in the North Sea. Executives said combining expertise in shipping and hydrocarbons could turn the transport and storage of greenhouse gases into a new business area.


A fleet of 15 so-called handy-size gas carriers, each with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters, would be able to transport about half of annual CO2 emissions from industrial sites in Denmark to the North Sea for storage, said Martin Fruergaard, a senior vice president of Maersk Tankers and the head of the group’s gas carrier business.

Transporting CO2 by ship “is far more flexible and will not require the same large-scale investments as pipelines,” said Mr. Fruergaard, who added that the business case for these activities would be helped if Maersk could also pump the CO2 below the seabed to enhance oil recovery rates in maturing fields.

The company has drawn up blueprints for the new vessels, which could be ready within two years. Emissions of CO2 from vessels on short North Sea voyages were expected to be less than 1 percent of the total quantity of CO2 the ships had stowed on board. The business could eventually expand to the United States if it introduces offshore carbon burial on a significant scale.

Proponents of carbon capture-and-storage technology say it is an effective way of controlling the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. But skeptics argue that some applications of the technology — including using captured CO2 to push out the last remaining drops of oil from depleted wells — create additional planet-warming gases by enlarging the volume of fossil fuels available for use.

[Dig]

BTW - there are literally over 10,000 articles about this incident.

Seems like something strange is going on for all of this attention on an incident involving one person.

Perhaps this is meant to be "the lost pilot" in Wag the Dog.

[David Rothscum]

BTW - there are literally over 10,000 articles about this incident.

Seems like something strange is going on for all of this attention on an incident involving one person.

Perhaps this is meant to be "the lost pilot" in Wag the Dog.

Well, it makes a great story doesn't it? People want to hear great stories even though they don't affect our own lives so the media delivers us just what we want.

[David Rothscum]

www.africaspeaks.com/somalia/251108.html
Toxic scandal in Somalia gave birth to new piracy
November 25, 2008
socialistworker.co.uk

The escapades of Somali pirates made headlines last week. But the media has ignored the injustice behind the phenomenon, writes Simon Assaf

When the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2005 washed ashore on the east coast of Africa, it uncovered a great scandal.

Tonnes of radioactive waste and toxic chemicals drifted onto the beaches after the giant wave dislodged them from the sea bed off Somalia.

Tens of thousands of Somalis fell ill after coming into contact with this cocktail. They complained to the United Nations (UN), which began an investigation.

"There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems such as mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties," the UN noted.

Some 300 people are believed to have died from the poisonous chemicals.

Many European, US and Asian shipping firms – notably Switzerland's Achair Partners and Italy's Progresso – signed dumping deals in the early 1990s with Somalia's politicians and militia leaders.

This meant they could use the coast as a toxic dumping ground. This practice became widespread as the country descended into civil war.

Nick Nuttall of the UN Environment Programme said, "European companies found it was very cheap to get rid of the waste.

"It cost as little as £1.70 a tonne, whereas waste disposal costs in Europe was something like £670 a tonne.

"And the waste is of many different kinds. There is uranium radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury. There is also industrial waste, hospital wastes, chemical wastes – you name it."

But despite the evidence uncovered by the tsunami, an investigation into the practice of toxic dumping was dropped. There was no compensation and no clean up.

In 2006 Somali fishermen complained to the UN that foreign fishing fleets were using the breakdown of the state to plunder their fish stocks. These foreign fleets often recruited Somali militias to intimidate local fishermen.

Despite repeated requests, the UN refused to act. Meanwhile the warships of global powers that patrol the strategically important Gulf of Aden did not sink or seize any vessels dumping toxic chemicals off the coast.

So angry Somalis, whose waters were being poisoned and whose livelihoods were threatened, took matters into their own hands. Fishermen began to arm themselves and attempted to act as unofficial coastguards.

They began to seize ships in late 2005. These were released after a ransom was paid. Among them were cargo vessels, luxury cruise liners and tuna fishing boats.

Januna Ali Jama, a Somali pirate leader, explained that their actions were motivated by attempts to stop the toxic dumping.

He said that the £5.4 million ransom they demanded for the return of a Ukrainian ship would go towards cleaning up the mess.

Ali Jama said the pirates were "reacting to the toxic waste that has been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20 years.

"The Somali coastline has been destroyed. We believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."

But the nature of this piracy soon began to change. Members of the Somali government, who were part of the then Western-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), started to get involved.

They transformed the piracy operation into a multi-million dollar industry that funded their lavish lifestyles.

The TFG was ousted during a popular rebellion in July 2006 led by the Union of Islamic Courts. Later that year the US backed Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia to drive the Islamic Courts out.

This provoked an insurgency labelled by some as the "third front" of the "war on terror".

The US became embarrassed when it emerged that its allies in the TFG were deeply involved in piracy. As concerns grew for the safety of ships heading towards the Suez Canal, global powers began to take notice.

Indian and US warships began to sink Somali fishing boats if they sailed too close to cargo vessels or trawlers. These warships transformed Somalia's coastal waters into a "free fire zone". When a giant Saudi oil tanker was seized, these powers declared all-out war on the pirates.

British foreign minister David Miliband recently boasted that Britain would be taking the lead in cracking down on the pirates.

The Royal Navy will take command of a European fleet of warships as part of "Operation Atalanta", he said.

The target will be the Somalis – not the vessels dumping waste or the illegal foreign fishing fleets.

As global powers dispatch their warships to the Somali coast, the problems that caused this outbreak of piracy remain unresolved.

European, US and Asian ships will continue to dump hazardous waste and plunder coastal fishing stocks – leading to continuing misery for Somalis.

Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original and leave this notice in place.

[ChristSavage]

US ship reaches Kenya minus kidnapped captain
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print  Play Video AP  – Ship reaches Kenya port, minus kidnapped captain
 Slideshow:Somali Pirates  Play Video Kenya Video:Maersk Alabama Docking FOX News  Play Video Kenya Video:Raw Video: Maersk Alabama in port from the air AP  AP – In this frame made from TV, the American ship Maersk Alabama whose captain remains held hostage by Somali … By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy And Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writers – 8 mins ago
MOMBASA, Kenya – Nineteen American sailors who escaped a pirate hijacking off the Horn of Africa reached safe harbor on Saturday, exhilarated by freedom but mourning the absence of the captain they hailed for sacrificing his freedom to save them.

With a throng of reporters shouting questions from shore, the crew of the Maersk Alabama described an ordeal that began with Somali pirates hauling themselves onto the deck from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.

"They came from the stern of the ship and came on with hooks and ropes and were firing in the air when they got on board," said ATM Reza, a father of one from Hartford, Connecticut, who said he was the first to see the pirates board Wednesday.

As the pirates shot in the air, Capt. Richard Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men, crew members said. Phillips was still held hostage in an enclosed lifeboat Saturday by four pirates being closely watched by U.S. warships in an increasingly tense standoff. A Pentagon spokesman said negotiations were ongoing.

"He saved our lives!" second mate Ken Quinn, of Bradenton, Florida, declared from the ship as it docked in the resort and port city of Mombasa. "He's a hero."

Reza said that he had led one of the pirates to the engine room, where he stabbed him in the hand with an ice pick and tied him up. Other sailors corroborated that story.

The crew did not elaborate Saturday but have told family members by phone that they took one pirate hostage before giving him up in the unfulfilled hope their captain would be released. Instead, the Somalis fled with Phillips to the lifeboat.

Some of the Alabama's crew cheered and cracked jokes as they arrived in Mombasa, others peered warily over the edge of their 17,000-ton cargo ship.

With Navy Seals standing guard, one sailor told off the mass of journalists, saying: "Don't disrespect these men like that. They've got a man out on a lifeboat dying so we can live."

Crewman William Rios described the whole experience as a "nightmare" and said the first thing he will do back home in New York is pray. "I'm going to church," he said, specifying St. John the Baptist Church in New York City.

Quinn told reporters the experience was "terrifying and exciting at the same time." Asked what he thought of the pirates who seized the boat, Quinn said: "They're just hungry."

Maersk President John Reinhart said from Norfolk, Virginia that the ship was still a crime scene and the crewmen could not leave until the FBI investigates the attack. He said crew members have been provided phones so they can stay in touch with family members.

"When I spoke to the crew, they won't consider it done when they board a plane and come home," Reinhart said. "They won't consider it done until the captain is back, nor will we."

Negotiations with the pirates were continuing on Saturday, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Stewart Upton said. But the Pentagon will not comment on any aspect of the negotiations, including who is leading them.

Other bandits, among the hundreds who have made the Gulf of Aden the world's most dangerous waterway, seized an Italian tugboat off Somalia's north coast Saturday as it was pulling barges, said Shona Lowe, a spokeswoman at NATO's Northwood maritime command center outside London.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome confirmed 10 of the 16 crew members are Italian. The others are five Romanians and a Croatian, according to Micoperi, the Italian company that owns the ship.

A piracy expert said the two hijackings did not appear related.

"This is just the Somali pirate machine in full flow," said Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, founder of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Ltd.

Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat Friday and tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured when a pirate fired an automatic weapon at or near him, according to U.S. Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the sensitive, unfolding operations.

"We believe that Capt. Phillips will survive this situation," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, father of second-in-command Shane Murphy. "We know he will survive because he will never give up."

A U.S. military official said that early Saturday the pirates in the lifeboat believed to be armed with pistols and AK-47s fired a few shots at a small Navy vessel that had approached, possibly to conduct reconnaissance. No one was hurt and the Navy vessel turned away, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The U.S. sailors did not return fire, he said. The U.S. had not approached in a rescue attempt, he said.

The captain of the warship watching the lifeboat has been getting direction from FBI hostage negotiators and talks have taken place with the pirates, U.S. officials said.

In Underhill, two young girls set up a lemonade stand with a sign saying "Come home safe Capt. Phillips."

Rev. Charles Danielson of the St. Thomas Church said the congregation would continue to pray for Phillips and his family, who are members, and he would encourage "people to find hope in the triumph of good over evil."

Reinhart said he spoke with Phillips' wife, Andrea, who is surrounded by family and two company employees who were sent to support her.

"She's a brave woman," Reinhart said. "And she has one favor to ask: 'Do what you have to do to bring Richard home safely.' That means don't make a mistake, folks. We have to be perfect in our execution."

The USS Bainbridge was joined Friday by the USS Halyburton, which has helicopters, and the huge, amphibious USS Boxer was expected soon after, the defense officials said. The Boxer, the flagship of a multination anti-piracy task force, resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.

On Friday, the French navy freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed.

The vice president of the Philippines, the nation with the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates, appealed for the safety of hostages to be ensured in the standoff.

"We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured," said Vice President Noli de Castro.

Meanwhile, France's defense minister promised an autopsy and investigation into the death of a hostage killed during a commando operation, which freed four other captives and was prompted by threats the passengers would be executed. Two pirates also were killed. Three pirates were captured and are to be brought to France for criminal proceedings.

Somali pirates are holding about a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau, a piracy watchdog group. The bureau lists 66 attacks since January, not including the Alabama or the Italian ship seized Saturday.

___

Associated Press writers who contributed to this report include Mohamed Olad Hassan and Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia; Michelle Faul and Tom Maliti in Nairobi, Kenya; Ariel David in Rome; Constant Brand in Brussels; Matt Apuzzo and Robert Burns in Washington; Oliver Teves in Manila, Philippines; and Pierre-Yves Roger in Paris.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090411/ap_on_re_af/piracy;_ylt=Ao_ia6dVDCJDNku7QW.VLnSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTI3YTVtbTNkBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNDExL3BpcmFjeQRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDZnVsbG5ic3BzdG9y

[ChristSavage]

Here is the version from Reuters, released about 10 minutes before the AP's.

Ship reaches Kenya; pirate lifeboat drifts toward land
By Celestine Achieng Celestine Achieng – 18 mins ago
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – A U.S.-flagged ship that was seized by Somali pirates arrived safely in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Saturday, as a Somali mediator headed to sea to try to secure the release of the ship's American captain.

"The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama container ship as it docked. "He saved our lives by giving himself up.

The ship, under the command of Richard Phillips, was attacked by gunmen far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the hijackers and regained control of the freighter.

Phillips was taken hostage and is being held captive on a drifting lifeboat by the gang of four pirates who want $2 million ransom for him, as well as safe passage.

Relatives said Phillips had volunteered to join the pirates in their lifeboat in exchange for the safety of his crew. At one point, he tried to escape by jumping overboard but "didn't get very far," a U.S. official said.

Three U.S. warships were in the area around the lifeboat. A U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity said crew members on the destroyer USS Bainbridge saw Phillips on Friday from a distance of several hundred yards (meters), moving and talking aboard the boat after his failed escape.

CNN said on Saturday the Bainbridge sent a small boat to approach the lifeboat to open communication, but the pirates responded with gunfire. The Navy personnel then retreated.

NBC television and CBS radio said the lifeboat had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast, and that U.S. military officials feared that if the craft reached the shore, the pirates might escape with their hostage on land.

Somalia has suffered 18 years of civil war and the international waters off the Horn of Africa have become some of the most dangerous in the world.

Phillips is just one of about 270 hostages from a variety of countries being held by Somali pirates preying on the busy sea-lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Yet the Maersk Alabama has captured world attention because Phillips is the first U.S. citizen seized and his crew was able to regain control of the ship.

"Once again, it has taken American involvement to get world powers really interested," said a diplomat who tracks Somalia from Nairobi.

The standoff has forced U.S. President Barack Obama to focus on a place most Americans would rather forget. A U.S. intervention in Somalia in the early 1990s was a disaster, including the "Black Hawk Down" battle in 1993 that killed 18 U.S. troops and inspired a book and a movie.

A White House spokesman said Obama received multiple updates on the piracy situation on Saturday.

CRIME SCENE

John Reinhart, president and chief executive of Maersk Line Ltd, said the FBI was investigating the hijacking in Kenya.

"Because of the pirate attack, the FBI has informed us that this ship is a crime scene," he told reporters, adding that the crew will have to stay on board the vessel.

As it docked, a U.S. crewman shouted to reporters a message that he wanted relayed to his family -- "I'm happy, I'm safe."

It was still not clear how the crew retook control of their vessel, which was carrying thousands of tons of food aid for Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.

Somali elders sent a mediator on Saturday in hopes of resolving a standoff between the U.S. Navy and the four pirates holding Phillips, a 53-year-old Vermont father of two.

"They are just looking to arrange safe passage for the pirates, no ransom," said Andrew Mwangura, the coordinator of a regional group that monitors piracy.

The mediator took to sea in a boat but it was unclear how he would reach the pirates. He speaks English and aimed to bridge the language gap between the pirates and the U.S. side.

"The man took a boat but how he will spot the lifeboat is the question," said Aweys Ali Said, head of the local Galkayo region's local authority. "The elders want the captain to be released and the pirates to come home safely. But I understand, the pirates need a ransom, come what may.

The gang holding Phillips remained defiant. "We will defend ourselves if attacked," one told Reuters by satellite phone.

Another band of pirates seized an Italian-flagged tugboat with 10 Italians and six others aboard on Saturday, NATO officials on a warship in the region said.

Earlier, attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade and guns at another ship in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen. The grenade did not explode and the ship's crew managed to repel the attackers with water hoses, the officials said.

French special forces on Friday stormed a yacht held by pirates elsewhere in the lawless stretch of the Indian Ocean in an assault that killed one hostage but freed four. Two of the pirates were killed and three captured.

Filipinos make up the largest contingent of hostages in the region. Pirates are keeping about 17 captured vessels on Somalia's eastern coast -- six taken in the last week alone.

In Somalia's semi-autonomous northern Puntland region, which prides itself on its relative stability, a court sentenced 10 pirates to 20 years in prison on Saturday for attacking a Syrian-registered ship in October 2008. But piracy seems sure to go on while Somalia stays in chaos.

Insurance premiums have risen and some shippers just avoid the area, sending cargoes round South Africa to Europe instead of through the Gulf of Aden into the Suez Canal.

Piracy has been growing for years but hit headlines in 2008 when there were 42 hijackings including the world's largest sea hijack of a Saudi tanker carrying $100 million of oil.

(Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Mohamed Ahmed in Mogadishu, Abdiqani Hassan in Bosasso, Abdiaziz Hassan in Nairobi, Daniel Wallis and Celestine Achieng in Mombasa, Alison Bevege on board the NRB Corte-Real, Todd Eastham, Andrew Gray, Anthony Boadle, David Morgan and Bill Trott in Washington, William Maclean in London and Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi; writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Bill Trott; editing by Kieran Murray and Philip Barbara)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090411/ts_nm/us_somalia_piracy