ID :
30268
Fri, 11/14/2008 - 17:55
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/30268
The shortlink copeid
India wants U.N. to set up peace-keeping force to fight piracy
London, Nov 14 (PTI) India has asked the United Nations to set up a Peace-Keeping Force to tackle the growing menace of pirates particularly in the Gulf of Aden.
"We suggested that the U.N. set up a Peace-Keeping Force under their auspices with a blue helmet which will provide a unified command. The suggestion was well received," A.P.V.N. Sarma, Secretary, Department of Shipping, told PTI.
Sarma, who is here to attend the five-day Council
Meeting of the International Maritime Organisation, Thursday
night said there was a detailed discussion on the issue during
meeting chaired by Sweden. The 32 member countries attended
the meeting that concluded Friday.
"India strongly took up the view that unless concrete
steps are taken under the auspices of the U.N., the problem
will aggravate," he said.
India also suggested that seafarers should not be
treated as criminals in case of accidents and cited the case
of Indian crew members being detained in Korea for the last
one year following a collision between a tanker and a barge.
Indian crew were on the tanker.
Indian Navy recently thwarted an attempt by pirates to
capture an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden. The
ship, M.V. Jag Arnav, had recently crossed the Suez Canal and
was eastward bound when it was surrounded by pirates, who
tried to board and hijack the ship.
When the 38,265-tonne bulk carrier, owned by
Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping company, raised an alarm,
it caught the attention of the Indian Naval warship I.N.S.
Tabar which was patrolling in the Gulf of Aden waters.
The Indian Navy warship rushed its commandos on an
armed helicopter to intervene and they successfully repulsed
the pirates' attack. The pirates came on speed boats armed
with automatic weapons.
The timely and successful intervention led to the
pirates aborting their attempt.
Later I.N.S. Tabar, which was about 25 nautical miles
away from the place of pirate attack, closed in on the
merchant vessel and escorted it to safety.
In the wake of several incidents of merchant vessels
coming under attack from pirates, India has on October 23
decided to deploy its warship in the Gulf of Aden on patrol
duties with a mandate to intervene if any Indian vessel was in
distress.
The decision came after pirates hijacked Japanese
vessel M.V. Stolt Valor in the same area and took the ship
with 18 Indian sailors on board to a Somalian port on
September 15 this year. For the last two months, the Indian
sailors from Stolt Valor have been held hostage by the
Somalian pirates, who have been demanding a ransom.
The Japanese shipping company has been holding
negotiations with the pirates to secure the sailors' release,
even as there were demands from their family members that
Indian government should intervene and get them to safety.
In fact, India has identified that a large number of
sea pirates were operating from the seaports of Eyl and Hobyo
in Somalia and is closely monitoring movements of pirates in
the area.
A sizeable portion of India's trade flows through the
Gulf of Aden and there has been a quantum increase in the
number of piracy attacks in the region over the last few
months. PTI
"We suggested that the U.N. set up a Peace-Keeping Force under their auspices with a blue helmet which will provide a unified command. The suggestion was well received," A.P.V.N. Sarma, Secretary, Department of Shipping, told PTI.
Sarma, who is here to attend the five-day Council
Meeting of the International Maritime Organisation, Thursday
night said there was a detailed discussion on the issue during
meeting chaired by Sweden. The 32 member countries attended
the meeting that concluded Friday.
"India strongly took up the view that unless concrete
steps are taken under the auspices of the U.N., the problem
will aggravate," he said.
India also suggested that seafarers should not be
treated as criminals in case of accidents and cited the case
of Indian crew members being detained in Korea for the last
one year following a collision between a tanker and a barge.
Indian crew were on the tanker.
Indian Navy recently thwarted an attempt by pirates to
capture an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden. The
ship, M.V. Jag Arnav, had recently crossed the Suez Canal and
was eastward bound when it was surrounded by pirates, who
tried to board and hijack the ship.
When the 38,265-tonne bulk carrier, owned by
Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping company, raised an alarm,
it caught the attention of the Indian Naval warship I.N.S.
Tabar which was patrolling in the Gulf of Aden waters.
The Indian Navy warship rushed its commandos on an
armed helicopter to intervene and they successfully repulsed
the pirates' attack. The pirates came on speed boats armed
with automatic weapons.
The timely and successful intervention led to the
pirates aborting their attempt.
Later I.N.S. Tabar, which was about 25 nautical miles
away from the place of pirate attack, closed in on the
merchant vessel and escorted it to safety.
In the wake of several incidents of merchant vessels
coming under attack from pirates, India has on October 23
decided to deploy its warship in the Gulf of Aden on patrol
duties with a mandate to intervene if any Indian vessel was in
distress.
The decision came after pirates hijacked Japanese
vessel M.V. Stolt Valor in the same area and took the ship
with 18 Indian sailors on board to a Somalian port on
September 15 this year. For the last two months, the Indian
sailors from Stolt Valor have been held hostage by the
Somalian pirates, who have been demanding a ransom.
The Japanese shipping company has been holding
negotiations with the pirates to secure the sailors' release,
even as there were demands from their family members that
Indian government should intervene and get them to safety.
In fact, India has identified that a large number of
sea pirates were operating from the seaports of Eyl and Hobyo
in Somalia and is closely monitoring movements of pirates in
the area.
A sizeable portion of India's trade flows through the
Gulf of Aden and there has been a quantum increase in the
number of piracy attacks in the region over the last few
months. PTI
