The decision by the UN to allow the pursuit of Somalian pirates on land is not altogether unexpected. These pirates are no more than a band of robbers and reminded me of the movie Death Wish, where marauding bands of gangsters terrorise innocent people. The action being taken by various governments have so far had very limited impact in curtailing their activities. The hide-and-seek game in a vast open sea makes it very challenging for them. This is one crime which requires the concerted effort of all peace-loving nations and yet the coming together of governments has been somewhat slow. NATO, India, the US have made their presence in the area, and the latest is China is likely to send their navy to protect their own vessels. Sadly there seem little or no interest from the countries in the South African continent - not even the Arab states though one Saudi tanker is still being held hostage at the time of writing.
The way to deal with the pirate is perhaps to let force meet with force. Blasting the pirates out of the waters will be a good deterrance to others. Arresting the pirates and bringing them to the courts may be a waste of good money for bad. The system of administration in Somalia may well see these culprits back onto their boats even before the change of seasons. What governments should do is to confiscate the money from these pirates and donate them to the needy and suffering in the South African continent. I find it almost like reading the comics each day when I open my newspapers to find news about pirates seizing ships, plundering and robbing almost at will. If nations can't tackle this somewhat "localised" problem, there isn't much hope to get even more nations together and try to tackle an issue like global warming.
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