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Piracy: Govt plans weapons on merchant ships
11/03/11
Two days after an uproar in Parliament over the plight of Indians held captive by Somali pirates, the government today announced a sweeping set of measures to tackle the crisis — from letting merchant ships carry arms to ensuring prompt action by the Navy.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna said that "actions" by the Ministries of Shipping, External Affairs and Defence would address the "legal, administrative and operational aspects of combating piracy".
Sources said that among the CCS's decisions: merchant vessels with Indian flags will carry weapons; a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be in place for the Indian Navy and coordination of the Navy's activities with counterparts of friendly countries in the Gulf of Aden; the Navy will promptly act — without waiting for sanction — if any ship with Indian flag or Indians on board is attacked by pirates; in the event of a pirate attack, Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary will serve as a crisis management group and coordinate with all agencies and relatives of hostages. An inter-ministerial group will be established under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.
As of now, 53 Indian seafarers are in captivity on five different ships. Krishna said that India would "intensify diplomatic efforts through consultations with the governments of Egypt and the UAE where the owners of vessels concerned reside, as well as with governments of other nationalities who are also being held hostage". The government, he said, would step up "diplomatic efforts at the multilateral level and within the UN framework."
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the government should use UN mechanisms available on piracy and its victims.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/piracy-govt-plans-weapons-on-merchant-ships/761441/
11/03/11
Two days after an uproar in Parliament over the plight of Indians held captive by Somali pirates, the government today announced a sweeping set of measures to tackle the crisis — from letting merchant ships carry arms to ensuring prompt action by the Navy.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna said that "actions" by the Ministries of Shipping, External Affairs and Defence would address the "legal, administrative and operational aspects of combating piracy".
Sources said that among the CCS's decisions: merchant vessels with Indian flags will carry weapons; a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be in place for the Indian Navy and coordination of the Navy's activities with counterparts of friendly countries in the Gulf of Aden; the Navy will promptly act — without waiting for sanction — if any ship with Indian flag or Indians on board is attacked by pirates; in the event of a pirate attack, Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary will serve as a crisis management group and coordinate with all agencies and relatives of hostages. An inter-ministerial group will be established under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.
As of now, 53 Indian seafarers are in captivity on five different ships. Krishna said that India would "intensify diplomatic efforts through consultations with the governments of Egypt and the UAE where the owners of vessels concerned reside, as well as with governments of other nationalities who are also being held hostage". The government, he said, would step up "diplomatic efforts at the multilateral level and within the UN framework."
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the government should use UN mechanisms available on piracy and its victims.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/piracy-govt-plans-weapons-on-merchant-ships/761441/