Today is the official “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Time to celebrate murderous thugs and to imitate characters from Disney amusement park rides. Oh goodie. Or maybe not. Today is also an excellent time to consider the very real human cost of piracy and to remember the more than 1,200 merchant seafarers who were captured and held hostage off the Horn of Africa last year.
Four years ago today, one of the first posts on this blog was “Thank You for Not Talking Like A Pirate.“: I have a rather good sense of humor and some might say a quick wit. (And some might say half-wit, but be that as it may.) Nevertheless, I am revolted by those who confuse piracy with cute colloquialisms, funny hats and the occasional parrot. Piracy is about murder and theft, not so unlike terrorism.
If piracy had disappeared in the 17th century and as such was nothing more than a quaint artifact of the past, it might be comparable to the Renaissance Fairs that break out every summer. The problem is, of course, that piracy hasn’t disappeared. It is alive and very nasty, particularly, these days, on the east coast of Africa off Somalia, not so far from Captain Kidd’s old cruising ground.
Last year, pirates off Somalia took over 1,200 merchant seafarers hostage, half of whom were tortured or abused. Thirty-five hostages died, of whom eight were murdered by pirates and eight more succumbed to malnutrition or disease. Nineteen hostages were killed in clashes between naval forces and pirates. Instead of pretending to be Long John Silver or Captain Jack Sparrow, today is a good day to remember the human cost of piracy.
Somali Pirate Hostages Climb Above 1,200 as Violence Escalates
Argh! thank YOU.
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We’ve sailed many seas that have “pirates” and their stories are quite different. Anyone remember Lydia Tangvald? I was the first to speak with Peter after the event. While we drifted in dinghies across Brunei Harbour he told me the pirates would not have shot his wife if she hadn’t shot first. His baby Thomas sat dumb on the aft thwart having not uttered a word since seeing his mother fall overside. The situation in the Sulu Sea was exacerbated by religious differences. Somali, on the other hand, has a long history of natural catastrophes linked to a breakdown of law, which has been exploited and abused by other countries. Illegal fishing in their waters, dumping of radioactive material off their shores has totally destroyed the Somalians ability to feed their families. Enter the war-lords. Maybe if the world community had rallied to their support, those ex-fishermen would not have been force to such measures.
Not everyone lives in first world conditions. Many struggle to feed themselves and their loved ones. And when they cannot, desperate measures are taken.
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This is very beneficial information. Two things I like about the post, one it is straight forward and two it does not attempt to promote anyone’s position particularly. Thank you for the info Rick.
Thanks. Glad that you liked the post.