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Somalis to face hostage charges in Paris

Article published on the 2008-04-16 Latest update 2008-04-17 19:27 TU

Six pirates, captured by French special forces after a week-long hostage stand-off, arrived in Paris Wednesday to face charges of "organised criminality", hijacking and hostage-taking for ransom. The six Somalis were captured Friday while trying to escape after they released 30 hostages – the passengers and crew of the French luxury yacht Le Ponant.

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“Until recently the pirates believed that they were operating with impunity in Somalia. There was no one taking effective action against them," says International Maritime Bureau (IMB) director Captain Pottingal Mukundan. "So they became more and more audacious with their attacks.”

International Maritime Bureau President Captain Pottingal Mukundan

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16/04/2008 by Billie O'Kadameri

 

The IMB released a report today, naming Somalia and Nigeria as the world’s most dangerous coastlines for seafarers. The report also states that pirate attacks have been on the rise in 2008.

Asked about the French action, Mukundan said he was "delighted", adding that “it will have a very important deterrent effect on the pirates”.

“As more and more of the pirates are caught and punished, the risks of the pirates going out to seize the ships become greater than the benefits to them and then they stop.”