Malaysia detains 7 Somalis under suspicion of being pirates
Source: Agencies |
February 1, 2011, Tuesday
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POLICE in Malaysia took custody yesterday of seven Somali pirates captured in the Gulf of Aden and brought to the Southeast Asian country to face a possible trial for hijacking a Malaysian-operated chemical tanker.
Separately, relatives of a South African couple kidnapped by Somali pirates last year said that they have talked to the two and their captors have demanded US$10 -million in ransom.
Malaysia and South Korea could become Asia's first countries to charge Somalis for piracy-related offenses after detaining a total of 12 suspects in separate raids on two hijacked ships recently. Five Somalis captured in the Arabian Sea were brought on Sunday to South Korea, where they could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The seven other Somalis arrived under tight security at Malaysia's key western harbor yesterday aboard the MT Bunga Laurel, which they attacked on January 20 in the Gulf of Aden. Malaysian naval commandos stormed the ship and rescued 23 Filipino crew members less than two hours after the pirates boarded it.
The Somalis were taken to a magistrate's court, where police obtained approval to hold them for seven days. Wearing orange overalls and flip-flops, they were handcuffed behind their backs and then transported by bus to the national police headquarters for their detention. Most of them appeared to be in their 20s.
Authorities will interrogate the Somalis in a "thorough investigation" before deciding what charges they could face, a federal police official said.
Malaysia's plan to charge them could be complicated because the vessel attacked was Panama-registered, even though it was chartered and operated by a Malaysian shipping firm. None of the crew was Malaysian, and the ship's cargo was being transported to Singapore.
But officials have said the pirates could still face unspecified charges because the ship had Malaysian interests.
The US, Germany and the Netherlands have tried other Somali pirate suspects.
Separately, relatives of a South African couple kidnapped by Somali pirates last year said that they have talked to the two and their captors have demanded US$10 -million in ransom.
Malaysia and South Korea could become Asia's first countries to charge Somalis for piracy-related offenses after detaining a total of 12 suspects in separate raids on two hijacked ships recently. Five Somalis captured in the Arabian Sea were brought on Sunday to South Korea, where they could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The seven other Somalis arrived under tight security at Malaysia's key western harbor yesterday aboard the MT Bunga Laurel, which they attacked on January 20 in the Gulf of Aden. Malaysian naval commandos stormed the ship and rescued 23 Filipino crew members less than two hours after the pirates boarded it.
The Somalis were taken to a magistrate's court, where police obtained approval to hold them for seven days. Wearing orange overalls and flip-flops, they were handcuffed behind their backs and then transported by bus to the national police headquarters for their detention. Most of them appeared to be in their 20s.
Authorities will interrogate the Somalis in a "thorough investigation" before deciding what charges they could face, a federal police official said.
Malaysia's plan to charge them could be complicated because the vessel attacked was Panama-registered, even though it was chartered and operated by a Malaysian shipping firm. None of the crew was Malaysian, and the ship's cargo was being transported to Singapore.
But officials have said the pirates could still face unspecified charges because the ship had Malaysian interests.
The US, Germany and the Netherlands have tried other Somali pirate suspects.
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