1 2 3 » China Hosts Meeting On Somalia Piracy Last Updated: Nov 6 2009 6:51AM BEIJING – China on Friday opened a two-day international conference on efforts to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden from Somali pirates, the defense ministry said. The meeting would be attended by representatives from "Russia, Japan, India, the European Union, and other countries' marine forces, including NATO," it said in a fax to AFP. "The main topic of discussion will be the implementation of cooperative efforts to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden and coming up with the best formula for international cooperation," it said. China in January joined international efforts to police waters off Somalia in a bid to fend off pirate attacks.   Pirates Threaten To Kill Chinese Hostages Last Updated: Oct 20 2009 6:35AM Somali pirates say they will kill 25 chinese sailors aboard a hijacked ship if any rescue operation is attempted. Reuters newsagency says it received the threat in a telephone call from an associate of the gang. "We tell them to change their mind regarding any rescue, otherwise they will regret it," he said. "We know what they are planning to do." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said earlier in Beijing that his government had "actively started rescue operations" for the ship.   Hijackers Threatened To Blow Up Mystery Ship: Reports Last Updated: Aug 19 2009 6:15AM MOSCOW - The hijackers of a cargo ship that disappeared off the coast of France threatened to blow it up if their ransom demands were not met, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. Russia on Tuesday arrested eight people on suspicion of hijacking the Arctic Sea off the Swedish coast and sailing it to the Atlantic Ocean, ending weeks of silence about the fate of a ship which has intrigued European maritime authorities. The limited information from Russian authorities has failed to satisfy skeptics who voiced doubts about whether the piracy actually took place or was a convenient cover story to conceal a possible secret cargo of arms or nuclear material. "The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel if their orders were not obeyed," Interfax quoted a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.   Antipiracy Law Authorizing SDF Protection Of Any Ship Enacted Last Updated: Jun 19 2009 8:07AM The Diet enacted an antipiracy law Friday authorizing the Self-Defense Forces to protect any commercial ship from pirates, regardless of its connection to Japan. Currently, Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers operating in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia are only authorized to protect Japanese-related commercial ships under the Self-Defense Forces Law. Earlier in the day, the opposition-controlled House of Councilors voted down the government-sponsored bill during its plenary session. But the more powerful House of Representatives later approved the bill for a second time on the strength of the two-thirds majority of the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito party ruling coalition.   Australia Joins Fight Against Piracy Off Somalia Last Updated: May 29 2009 8:11AM Australia announced Friday that it will send a warship and a surveillance aircraft to the Horn of Africa as part of the international fight against piracy. The frigate HMAS Warramunga, presently patrolling in the Persian Gulf, will be attached periodically to a new combined taskforce established to combat pirate activity in shipping lanes off Somalia. An Australian airforce AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, based in an unnamed Persian Gulf country, will also join the taskforce. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia was "stepping up to the plate" to help foil the hijacking of ships for ransom.   Lower House Approves Antipiracy Legislation Over Opposition Last Updated: Apr 23 2009 8:00AM The House of Representatives passed a government-sponsored antipiracy bill on Thursday without any amendment in the face of opposition by the Democratic Party of Japan and other smaller parties. The bill, which would enable the regular dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces on antipiracy missions abroad, cleared the lower house's special committee on antipiracy operations in the afternoon before being approved by the chamber at a plenary session. Although the bill is expected to be voted down at the opposition-controlled House of Councillors, it is likely to be enacted into law by the June 3 end of the current parliamentary session after the lower house passes it a second time. ''Ensuring the safety of maritime transport is the priority for a trading nation that relies heavily on imports for resources,'' Prime Minister Taro Aso said during the panel meeting.   Pirates Free Ship Five Months On Last Updated: Apr 21 2009 7:56AM Somali pirates have freed a chemical tanker and its crew of 23 Filipinos after holding them for five months. The owner of the Stolt Strength said securing the release had been "difficult and protracted". The ship was seized on 10 November last year in the Gulf of Aden while en route from Senegal to India. It is not known if a ransom was paid. Somalia has had no stable government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness that has allowed piracy to thrive.   Aso Seeks Early Enactment Of Anti-Piracy Bill Last Updated: Apr 14 2009 8:26AM The lower house of Japan's parliament has begun debate on a bill to allow Japan's Self-Defense Forces to protect foreign vessels from pirate attacks. Japan has 2 Maritime Self-Defense Force ships deployed off the coast of Somalia, but they are legally allowed to escort only Japan-related vessels. In the House of Representatives of the Diet on Tuesday, transport minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko explained the aim of the bill. He said securing the safety of ships is extremely important for Japan, which is surrounded by sea and relies heavily on imports of natural resources. Prime Minister Aso said acts of piracy jeopardize Japan's national interest of securing the safety of maritime transport.   Japan Orders Ships On Somalia Anti-Piracy Mission Last Updated: Mar 13 2009 7:57AM Japan on Friday ordered two warships on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia where US, European and Chinese naval vessels have already been fending off pirates who staged over 100 attacks last year. The two destroyers are due to set sail Saturday for the Gulf of Aden from a western Japanese port, the defense ministry said. The ships are expected to arrive in waters near the Suez canal in about three weeks. "Following the decision at today's cabinet meeting, I ordered the Self-Defense Forces to engage in the maritime security activity," said Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.   Japan Warships To Go On Somalia Anti-Piracy Mission Last Updated: Mar 11 2009 8:16AM Japan is expected to send two warships Saturday to pirate-infested waters off Somalia as the government tries to push through legislation to allow its forces more scope for armed response. Two destroyers will set sail for the world's most dangerous waters near the Gulf of Aden where US, European and Chinese vessels have already been deployed to fend off pirates who attacked more than 100 ships last year. The mission has divided opinion in Japan, where under the post-World War II pacifist constitution troops in international disputes can use force only for self-defence and to protect Japanese nationals. Prime Minister Taro Aso's conservative Liberal Democratic Party this week agreed to proposed legislation to pave the way for the mission and to give its roughly 400-strong crew an expanded mandate on when and how to use force.   Two Sailors Kidnapped In Malacca Strait Last Updated: Feb 20 2009 7:54AM Two sailors aboard a Singapore-managed tug and barge have been kidnapped by pirates in the Malacca Strait, sources said Friday. The tug and barge were attacked on the afternoon of February 19, a maritime source familiar with the incident told AFP. "About 12 pirates armed with guns attacked the tug and barge and kidnapped two crew members as the vessel was en route to Singapore," he said, adding that the rest of the crew and the boat were not seized. The source, who declined to be named, said they did not know the nationality of the sailors nor whether negotiations to secure their release had begun. They said the attack occurred in the north of the Malacca Strait, a strategic waterway shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.   MSDF To Send 2 Destroyers On Anti-Piracy Mission Last Updated: Feb 3 2009 7:50AM Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is preparing to send 2 destroyers on an anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia. The MSDF chief of staff, Admiral Keiji Akahoshi, told reporters on Tuesday that the ships are the 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton Samidare - both based at Kure port in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan. The 2 destroyers carry one helicopter each. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the MSDF last week to prepare for deployment off Somalia to protect Japan-linked ships from pirates.   [Japan] Gov't To Tell Defense Force On Wed. To Prepare For Antipiracy Mission Last Updated: Jan 27 2009 8:11AM Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada will instruct the Self-Defense Forces on Wednesday morning to prepare for a deployment to waters off Somalia to protect tankers and other commercial ships from pirates, government sources said Tuesday. The dispatch of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, which would come in early March at the earliest due to training and other preparatory work, would be the first SDF deployment overseas under the maritime police action provision of the SDF law. The instruction is expected after Hamada talks with Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday morning. ''I will tell the defense minister to quicken the preparations after the national security council meeting tomorrow,'' Aso told reporters on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Kosuke Hori, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, and Natsuo Yamaguchi, Hori's counterpart in the New Komeito party, the LDP's junior coalition partner, urged Aso to prepare for the MSDF dispatch.   [Japan] MSDF Antipiracy Mission Gets LDP Go-Ahead Last Updated: Jan 23 2009 8:08AM A team from the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc gave the green light Thursday to a proposal to dispatch the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect Japanese vessels from Somali pirates off Africa. The mission, which will be based on a maritime police action provision in the Self-Defense Forces law, is a quick fix until a permanent antipiracy bill can be submitted and passed by the Diet. Based on the team's outline, Prime Minister Taro Aso will order Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada to get the MSDF prepped for the mission as early as next week. The Cabinet will then approve the dispatch once the ships are ready.   Japanese Taskforce Approves Naval Mission To Somalia Last Updated: Jan 22 2009 8:14AM Japan's ruling coalition on Thursday approved plans to send naval ships to pirate-infested waters off Somalia to protect Japanese vessels and nationals, an official said. The decision by the coalition's anti-piracy task force is expected to pave the way for a Japanese mission off the coast of the lawless African nation sometime in the coming months. The navy would protect Japanese-registered ships and foreign ships with Japanese crew and passengers, or important cargo, said an official with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's junior coalition partner, New Komeito.   Cabinet Backs Plan To Send S Korea Warship Against Somali Pirates Last Updated: Jan 20 2009 8:31AM Seoul's cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to send a warship and 310 troops to combat piracy off Somalia where several South Korean ships have been seized, officials said. The dispatch of a destroyer, which must be approved by parliament next month, would mark the first-ever overseas combat deployment by the country's navy. The mission would continue for the rest of this year. The United States, several European nations, Russia, India and China have already sent naval ships to the lawless Somali coast to safeguard major shipping lanes. The South Korean contingent could operate both independently and in conjunction with other international naval forces, said officials quoted by Yonhap news agency. South Korean ships or sailors have frequently been targeted in the region.   China Says Somali Mission Signals No Change In Military Policy Last Updated: Jan 16 2009 7:54AM The Chinese navy's historic mission to fend off pirates in Africa signals no change to the nation's defensive military posture, according to a senior defense official. A convoy began patrolling in the Gulf of Aden on January 6, part of a United Nations effort to protect commercial vessels from pirates working from Somalia, marking China's first potential combat mission beyond its waters in centuries. "The Somali mission shows China's efforts to undertake its international obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," Huang Xueping, deputy chief of the defense ministry's information office, told the China Daily newspaper.   [Japan] Public Opinion Divided Over An SDF Somalia Mission Last Updated: Jan 14 2009 8:28AM An NHK poll shows that public opinion is almost equally divided over the possible deployment of Japanese forces off Somalia to help fight pirates. NHK carried out a random survey of people aged 20 or older from Saturday through Monday. Sixty-two percent, or 1,106, responded. 25 percent of the respondents support the deployment of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, while 24 percent are against it. 42 percent are undecided. The survey also asked when Japan's Lower House should be dissolved for general elections. 43 percent want to see this happen in the spring after the enactment of the fiscal 2009 budget bills. 26 percent want an immediate dissolution, and 20 percent said it will not be necessary to dissolve the Lower House until its term ends in September.   [China] Navy Escorts Taiwan Ship In Waters Off Somalia Last Updated: Jan 13 2009 9:21AM The Chinese navy Monday escorted a Taiwan ship through Somali waters to protect it against pirate attacks. This is the first time that the navy has escorted a ship from the island in waters off Somalia. Two navy destroyers and a large supply ship have been patrolling the Somali waters for the past week, and offered to escort ships from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on request. On its second escort duty, the navy guided four merchant vessels, the Zhenhua 13 and Zhenhua 14 from Shanghai, Yushan from Taiwan and the China-registered Filipino ship, Saga Horizon, the mission's headquarters said.   MSDF Can Protect Non-Japanese Ships If Loaded With Japanese Cargo Last Updated: Jan 13 2009 9:15AM Japanese-owned shipments can be grounds for Maritime Self- Defense Force protection of non-Japanese ships if MSDF ships are deployed on an antipiracy mission near Somalia under maritime policing rules, lawmakers of the ruling coalition said Tuesday. Such legal interpretation can pave the way for expanding the target of MSDF protection to many more non-Japanese ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia. The inability to protect non-Japanese ships from pirate threats under the existing rules has been a sore point for the Japanese government as it considers ways to contribute to international efforts at combating pirates in the region.   1 2 3 »