 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
French navy hands over eight Somali pirates to Puntland
Bosasso, Somalia (AFP) Jan 2, 2009 The French navy has handed over eight suspected pirates captured in the Gulf of Aden to the authorities of Somalia's breakaway state of Puntland, an official said Friday. "The Puntland regional government received eight pirates from the French navy, who intercepted them while they were attacking a commercial vessel," Puntland assistant minister for seaports Abdelkadir Musa Yusuf told reporters. "They will be charged for their crimes according to criminal law. This is the second time the French navy has transferred captured pirates to Puntland," he said. The Premier Maitre L'Her, a French frigate patrolling the waters as part of a European Union taskforce, intercepted the pirates on Thursday after twice responding to a distress call from the Panamanian-flagged S. Venus. In October, the French navy handed over nine suspected pirates to Puntland. Another 12 suspected pirates are currently being held in France. They were arrested during two separate operations to free the crew of two French yachts in April and September 2008. The assistant minister praised France for combating piracy, which has wreaked panic in world shipping by turning the Gulf of Aden into the world's most dangerous waters, and for handing over suspects. "The French navy is cooperating and they are the only ones who are sending prisoners to Somalia," he said, talking to reporters in Bosasso, Puntland's main port on the Gulf of Aden. In November, the British navy handed over eight suspected pirates to the authorities of Kenya and in December signed a memorandum of understanding providing a legal framework for such cooperation. Somalia is not party to any of the treaties and conventions regulating the world's waters and many of the nations represented in the naval coalitions patrolling pirate-infested zones have been reluctant to send suspects there. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links 21st Century Pirates
French warship foils Somali pirate attack in Gulf of Aden
Paris (AFP) Jan 1, 2009A French warship foiled a raid by Somali pirates on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, arresting eight suspects, France's military command said Thursday. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook