JAI HIND!
For years we've been hearing about Somalian pirates hijacking vessels traveling around the Horn of Africa.
(Yes, this is happening now, in the 2000's).
The ship-seizing has only increased over the years, and an estimated $100 million has already been paid in ransoms for seized goods and crew this year.
Many countries (not to mention NATO) have sent ships to police these busy shipping lanes - which are known as the world's most dangerous waters.
But the ships have had no effect on the pirates, who keep taking all the booty they want.
Over the weekend, pirates seized a Saudi oil supertanker that is now being held for ransom in Somalia
Soon after, pirates hijacked a Greek ship and a Thai fishing boat.
The news has been all bad - until Tuesday night.
That's when an Indian warship, the INS Tabar, sank a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden and chased away two others.*
An Indian ship! Not an E.U. ship or a NATO ship or a US ship.
Apparently the Russian-built INS Tabar also freed a Saudi chemical tanker last week.
जय िंहद !
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*The idea of Ahimsa or non-harming is important for yogis to follow. But warriors have another dharma (duty). According to the Bhagavad Gita it is extremely important to follow one's dharma. For example, if you are a warrior and the war is just, you must go to battle and not worry about the outcome (since it's not in your hands).
** The video features some of India's greatest performers and athletes, from a variety of religious, ethnic and musical traditions - including Yesudas, Pandit Jasraj, Zakir Hussein, Javed Akhtar, Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, and Jagjit Singh.
There's been an update:
ReplyDeleteNEW DELHI (AP) _ The pirate "mother ship" sunk last week by the Indian navy was actually a Thai fishing trawler seized hours earlier by pirates, a maritime agency said Wednesday. The Indian navy defended its actions, saying it fired in self-defense.
One Thai crew member died when the Indian frigate INS Tabar fired on the boat in the Gulf of Aden last week, according to Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
One Cambodian crew member was rescued four days later by passing fishermen, but 14 other sailors remain missing, Choong said. The maritime bureau received a report on the apparent mistake late Tuesday from Bangkok-based Sirichai Fisheries, which owned the trawler, the Ekawat Nava5, he said.
"The Indian navy assumed it was a pirate vessel because they may have seen armed pirates on board the boat which had been hijacked earlier," Choong said.
ARGH! The pirates win again.
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