A new dimension in Somali piracy

If I had to pick one area where the international comminuty has failed to act, my number one choice would be the issue of Somali pirates. Oh yes, there are warships of various nations there pretending to protect shipping. However, due to the impotence of politicians in Europe in particular, these patrols are little more than a joke.

And yet, this whole issue could be assuming a new dimension. Media reports say that a Chinese admiral has aired the thought that the country acquire a naval base in the region as its warships have had to spend up to four months at sea to provide protection for merchant vessels flying the Chinese flag in the absence of a base.

But let us look at the European Union's deplorable failure first. A Dutch warship captured a number of Somali pirates, but nobody wants to take them for a trial, so they may have to be released. The German navy, whose actions seem have been the most lethargic, does not even chase pirates, but only take action if alerted to do so.

No wonder the pirates feel free to roam the north western part of the Indian Ocean as they please. The worse that seems to happen if captured by an European warship is that their weapons are dumped in the water and they are allowed to go. Things might be very different if the rules of erngagement were relaxed to allow captains opf wartships to seek and destroy pirate vessels and send the pirates themselves to the depth with their vessels.

Of course, in this age of quangos backed by the soft political left, this would be unthinkable: the human rights of the pirates come first. As usual, the left seems to pay little attention to the sufferings of victims of crime, in this case piracy, as it lavishes understanding on criminals themselves.

But let us not forget the Chinese admiral. This is not the first time that China is reported to be looking for a naval base in the region and Pakistan has been cited as a candidate country that might provide it with one. If this were to happen, eyebrows would certainly be raised in the corridors of power in New Delhi.

At the moment, the US, UK and France have permanent naval presence in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Aden, the two first-named countries have bases in Bahrain, while the French have one in Djibouti. In addition, the Western Fleet of India, which is based in Mumbai, is a force to be reckoned with. In the next few years, the Indian navy will receive two new aircraft carriers to replace a single, ageing vessel of this type, in addition to other types of ships.

If Somali pirates prompt China to obtain a naval base in the Gulf of Aden or Arabian Sea, the issue that has so far worried merchant shipping will assume an aspect of far wider, political context. The pirates would give China a perfect excuse to seek permanent presence in the region, which would certainly raise concerns in India and perhaps elsewhere too. At the moment, the Chinese navy does not possess overseas bases.

As far as the pirates are concerned, the time has come to blast them from the waves by gunfire and accept that there will be even a high number of casualties amongst them as a result. When the Royal Navy cleared the seas from this peril in the 19th century, it was not done by lectures about human race but by pure force.