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| Africa Horn |
| South Korea to combat Somali piracy-report |
| 2008-11-14 |
| (SomaliNet) A report said on Thursday that South Korea plans to send a destroyer to the lawless waters off Somalia, where several of its merchant ships have been hijacked by pirates. Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed senior official as saying the government would seek parliamentary approval for the deployment during its current session, which ends on December 8. "The South Korean warship, if dispatched, will co-operate with the US 5th Fleet in Oman and the French navy in Djibouti," the official was quoted as saying. The official said the ship would be loaded with missiles and other weaponry and accompanied by Navy special forces in case of an emergency situation. However, the defence ministry declined to confirm the report saying consultations were still under way with other government agencies. A governmental team reviewed the situation off Somalia after pirates seized a South Korean cargo ship and 22 sailors on September 10. The sailors were released in October after the ship's owner paid a ransom. A South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew on board was hijacked by Somali pirates in April 2006. The ship and its crew were released after four months following the payment of a ransom. In 2007 Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew including four South Koreans. The crew were released in November after six months in captivity. Local media reports said the pirates had demanded a ransom of five million dollars before reducing the sum to an undisclosed figure. |
| Posted by:Steve White |