Somalian pirates have started attacking US vessels in the Indian Ocean, taking supplies and ransoming hostages. While the piracy has been going on for years, this is the first time that an American citizen has been kidnapped, forcing the US to become involved.
Marines were able to recover Captain Richard Phillips after his second attempt at escape, shooting three pirates and capturing a fourth. After much political debate, the decision was made to prosecute the fourth pirate in the United States. He is currently facing the possibility of a life sentence if charged. France plans to turn 11 pirates over to Kenya for trial following a treaty in regards to pirating in that area.
The largest debate for prosecuting the remaining pirate that kidnapped Phillips is his age. As there are no records in Somalia, prosecutors have had to estimate that he is somewhere between 14 and 17. A large percentage of the pirates are teenagers and young adults.
There have all ready been 60 hijacked ships in 2008 alone, and Somaliland rebels currently have an estimated 200 people still being held hostage from various countries including China, Italy, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Indonesia.
In an attempt to make the seas safer for merchants, a coalition of warships from nations across the globe has been patrolling the area, but the pirates have continued their attacks regardless of marine enforcement. They use small speedboats and arms that are easy to avoid detection and strike at random when the opportunity presents itself.
There are some who argue that Somalia is a victim warranting empathy, rather than prosecution. They suggest that a solution to Somalia's internal problems could stop the piracy more effectively than criminal action against the estimated 1,000 pirates in the country.
Somalia's government does not have the capacity to police the entire island. The economic situation in Somalia is dire at best, with the only main industry being fishing in the Indian Ocean. Other countries have been poaching in Somaliland territory, destroying the miniscule industry completely.
While this is devastating to the locals, the addition of hazardous waste being dumped in Somalia by large corporations has caused medical side effects in many Somaliland citizens. The healthcare system is not capable of dealing with these side effects, and people are dying.
To make matters worse, the lack of a common language, and the varying dialects from one tribe to another, have made communication among islanders come to a standstill. This factor has also created a problem with charging pirates in Kenya, as interpreters have been unable to translate the dialects.
Students on campus were torn between empathy and anger in regards to the recent attacks on American vessels. Kathy Southworth, an RN major, said, "We all have problems in the world, I understand theirs are more severe than ours… They could change their country."
Laura Arias said, "They need to find a middle ground. They need to know that if it's impacting us, than it's our responsibility to get involved."
The pirates have sworn vengeance for the three deaths. In an interview with Associated Press, Bdullahi Lami, a pirate currently holding a Greek ship, said, "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying… We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."
Whether this situation will escalate into an all out war or not, merchants and activist groups will continue to debate the correct procedure until a solution to the problem is reached.
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