Spring Break
Int'l piracy only one symptom of a much bigger problem
Cindy Luo
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Commentary
The word "pirates" conjures up images of swashbuckling sailors, sporting swords, eye patches, peg-legs and squawking parrots. The pirates that have been circling Somalia, though, are far from this romantic ideal. And so we must ask, why is there this piracy problem? The answer is a rather chilling idea brought to light by Ishaan Tharoor in an article in Time magazine.
The problem did not begin with the Somalis. They did not decide on piracy because it would be "fun." They chose it because it was their only option. Piracy did not start with Somali civilians trying to acquire money by holding foreign ships for ransom. Interestingly enough, many of the foreign ships that sailed Somali waters in the past were no better than pirates themselves.
Since the end of Somalia's last actual government in 1991, the waters of Somalia's 2,000-mile coastline - the longest coastline in continental Africa - has been filled with fighting fleets eager to take advantage of the unprotected shore. Foreign ships ranging from as far as South Korea, Japan and Spain have prowled the area, attacking fishermen and illegally stealing Somali stocks. A UN report estimates that about $300 million worth of seafood is stolen from the coast every year, and for a struggling country like Somalia, this is especially devastating. Certainly, what the Somalis are doing now are not correct either. But why is it that the type of piracy that involves taking large ships full of rich cargo and hostages reaches the news, but the regular looting that has occurred in the past 20 years has never been anywhere near the front page?
Not only were the Somalis' resources being taken away, but the people subjected to being used as a garbage dump. In addition to having to compete with foreign ships, Somali fishermen claim to have suffered because these ships would dump nuclear and other hazardous, toxic waste along the shores. Four years ago, a UN Environmental Program report found different radioactive deposits responsible for many respiratory problems and skin diseases that suddenly occurred in villages near the Somali coast. Foreign ships were using the coast as their own personal landfills, as it cost about 100 times more to dispose cleanly of waste in Europe than it does to simply dump them along the coast of Africa.
The problem did not begin with the Somalis. They did not decide on piracy because it would be "fun." They chose it because it was their only option. Piracy did not start with Somali civilians trying to acquire money by holding foreign ships for ransom. Interestingly enough, many of the foreign ships that sailed Somali waters in the past were no better than pirates themselves.
Since the end of Somalia's last actual government in 1991, the waters of Somalia's 2,000-mile coastline - the longest coastline in continental Africa - has been filled with fighting fleets eager to take advantage of the unprotected shore. Foreign ships ranging from as far as South Korea, Japan and Spain have prowled the area, attacking fishermen and illegally stealing Somali stocks. A UN report estimates that about $300 million worth of seafood is stolen from the coast every year, and for a struggling country like Somalia, this is especially devastating. Certainly, what the Somalis are doing now are not correct either. But why is it that the type of piracy that involves taking large ships full of rich cargo and hostages reaches the news, but the regular looting that has occurred in the past 20 years has never been anywhere near the front page?
Not only were the Somalis' resources being taken away, but the people subjected to being used as a garbage dump. In addition to having to compete with foreign ships, Somali fishermen claim to have suffered because these ships would dump nuclear and other hazardous, toxic waste along the shores. Four years ago, a UN Environmental Program report found different radioactive deposits responsible for many respiratory problems and skin diseases that suddenly occurred in villages near the Somali coast. Foreign ships were using the coast as their own personal landfills, as it cost about 100 times more to dispose cleanly of waste in Europe than it does to simply dump them along the coast of Africa.
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James
posted 4/22/09 @ 11:22 PM EST
Is the author of this article saying that the piracy off the Somali coast is some sort of people's revolution? If so, I have some prime swamp land here in Florida to sell them. (Continued…)
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