Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns (AP)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns
The Associated Press
Published: November 19, 2008

MOGADISHU, Somalia: Somalia's increasingly brazen
pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising
in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring
caterers to prepare Western-style food for their
hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public
institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in
the steamy coastal dens they operate from because
they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them,"
said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the
nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian
supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored
Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of
Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists
control most of the country's south, meting out
lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has
been no effective central government in nearly 20
years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/19/africa/AF-Pirate-Boomtown.php

[aquart]

1. Just remember what happened to Port Royal, darlings.

[maddezmom]

2. I think something is brewing....Russian envoy urges EU, NATO, to attack pirate bases

Russian envoy urges EU, NATO, to attack pirate bases
Thu 20 Nov 2008, 6:00 GMT

<-> Text <+> BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO, the European Union and others should launch land operations against bases of Somali pirates in coordination with Russia, the Russian ambassador to NATO said on Wednesday.

Dmitry Rogozin said the view of Russian experts was that naval action alone, even involving a large fleet of a powerful nation, would not be enough to defeat the pirates, given Somalia's geo-strategic position.

"So it is up to NATO, the EU and other major stakeholders to conduct not a sea operation, but in fact a land coastal operation to eradicate the bases of pirates on the ground," he said.

"Because we all know ... they have their bases on the ground and of course those actions should be coordinated with Russia," Rogozin said, without making clear whether he foresaw Russia being involved in any such operation.

more:http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4AJ030.html

[Ex Lurker]

3. Q ships

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship

[comtec]

4. *snerk* all we need now is Honor Harrington to save our bacon!

Sorry could not resist!
I agree, it's odd how no one is really DOING anything.
I feel like I'm watching IRL, the history of the manga One Piece happening.
Where a Pirate culture is being allowed to happen because the mega rich aren't being bothered.

[fasttense]

5. This is really funny.

Somalia, a devastatingly poor country with hunger a nationwide problem has now actually established a wealthy mafia. They have attracted the attention of the US, Saudi, and India, even the EU is looking at them. And they did all this with a few dinky little boats, a handful of guns and starving fishermen.

Did the huge fishing corporations who poached off the coast of Somalia know what they were creating when they decided to devastate the country's natural fishing resources?

It seems that Somalia first attacked and pirated the corporate fishing fleets then moved on to bigger things. That's what I call a real entrepreneur spirit.