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Japan may refuel anti-piracy ships off Somalia: minister
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 27, 2009 Japan may send a naval refuelling mission now backing the NATO-led Afghan campaign to support anti-piracy efforts off Somalia next year, the defence minister said Tuesday. Japan has since 2001 deployed a refuelling ship and an escorting warship in the Indian Ocean to aid the coalition fighting in Afghanistan, but a new centre-left government has said it will end the mission in January. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's party, which swept to power in August elections, has in the past spoken out against abetting "American wars" and promised alternative measures to help war-torn Afghanistan. Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, asked Tuesday whether the Indian Ocean mission could be redeployed to help the international anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, said: "That is entirely possible." It was likely that Japan would "use the skills and experience from the refuelling mission somewhere else," he told reporters. The Indian Ocean mission has a combined crew of more than 300. Japan now deploys two destroyers, with a total of 400 navy personnel, to protect busy commercial sea lanes threatened by pirates off Somalia. Japan in March joined the United States, China and more than 20 other countries in the maritime operation against pirates who have attacked ships off the Horn of Africa, a key route leading to the Suez Canal. The Japanese destroyers have escorted cargo vessels, although they have a limited mandate to use force under Japan's pacifist constitution. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links 21st Century Pirates
Hijacked Chinese ship has plenty of fuel, food: reportsBeijing (AFP) Oct 22, 2009 The Chinese cargo ship hijacked in the Indian Ocean this week has enough fuel for a month and plenty of food and water to meet the needs of the 25 crew being held hostage, state media said Thursday. China's navy has convened an emergency meeting on the hijacking of the "De Xin Hai" but no orders have been issued to dispatch rescue ships on patrol near the Gulf of Aden to the stricken vessel ... read more |
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