Somali Pirates Live The Good Life

Lavish Spending By Sea-Going Bandits Makes Them Heroes To People Of Poor Coastal Villages

(AP)  Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them," said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists control most of the country's south, meting out lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Life expectancy is just 46 years; a quarter of children die before they reach 5.

But in northern coastal towns like Haradhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone.

In Haradhere, residents came out in droves to celebrate as the looming oil ship came into focus this week off the country's lawless coast. Businessmen started gathering cigarettes, food and cold glass bottles of orange soda, setting up small kiosks for the pirates who come to shore to re-supply almost daily.

Dahir said she is so confident in the pirates, she instituted a layaway plan just for them.

"They always take things without paying and we put them into the book of debts," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Later, when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot."

For Somalis, the simple fact that pirates offer jobs is enough to gain their esteem, even as hostages languish on ships for months. The population makes sure the pirates are well-stocked in qat, a popular narcotic leaf, and offer support from the ground even as the international community tries to quash them.

"Regardless of how the money is coming in, legally or illegally, I can say it has started a life in our town," said Shamso Moalim, a 36-year-old mother of five in Haradhere.

"Our children are not worrying about food now, and they go to Islamic schools in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon. They are happy."

Despite a beefed-up international presence, the pirates continue to seize ships, moving further out to sea and demanding ever-larger ransoms. The pirates operate mostly from the semiautonomous Puntland region, where local lawmakers have been accused of helping the pirates and taking a cut of the ransoms.

For the most part, however, the regional officials say they have no power to stop piracy.

Meanwhile, towns that once were eroded by years of poverty and chaos are now bustling with restaurants, Land Cruisers and Internet cafes. Residents also use their gains to buy generators - allowing full days of electricity, once an unimaginable luxury in Somalia.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they must number in the thousands. And though the bandits do sometimes get nabbed, piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life.

NATO and the U.S. Navy say they can't be everywhere, and American officials are urging ships to hire private security. Warships patrolling off Somalia have succeeded in stopping some pirate attacks. But military assaults to wrest back a ship are highly risky and, up to now, uncommon.

The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday, hiring caterers on shore to cook spaghetti, grilled fish and roasted meat that will appeal to a Western palate. They also keep a steady supply of cigarettes and drinks from the shops on shore.

And when the payday comes, the money sometimes literally falls from the sky.

Pirates say the ransom arrives in burlap sacks, sometimes dropped from buzzing helicopters, or in waterproof suitcases loaded onto tiny skiffs in the roiling, shark-infested sea.

"The oldest man on the ship always takes the responsibility of collecting the money, because we see it as very risky, and he gets some extra payment for his service later," Aden Yusuf, a pirate in Eyl, told AP over VHF radio.

The pirates use money-counting machines - the same technology seen at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide - to ensure the cash is real. All payments are done in cash because Somalia, a failed state, has no functioning banking system.

"Getting this equipment is easy for us, we have business connections with people in Dubai, Nairobi, Djibouti and other areas," Yusuf said. "So we send them money and they send us what we want."

[gop_will_win]

See liberals? These people work to get themselves out of abject poverty.

[neoconrcrazy]

these are novice GOP''ers who''ve discovered the Bush Doctrine.....

[displeased]

This Somalia piracy is a perfect demonstration of Obama''''s "redistribution of wealth".
Posted by CBSisPravda

And look how their economy is thriving because of it. Perhaps Obama should offer some of these pirates positions in his cabinet.

[brianp55]

Hey...good idea. For all those Americans who have recently been laid off, and with the holiday season approaching, the solution is clear. Just start carjacking big rigs and holding them for ransom.

[ocasanas]

It seems like good business. Even though 99.9% of the world would label them as criminals, they are in a way keeping the honor system: they honor people who believe in them. Not to say that this shouldn''t be stopped immediately, but what it''s clear is that poverty gets very creative. Since poverty is the number one problem in the world (I think more important than getting health care), giving people not just the opportunity to get out of poverty, but giving people the means to actually get out of poverty, would solve this problem and the world would be a much nicer place.

[edward1975-2009]

Robin Hood lives. Hey, we have quite a few politicians who are felons, now they will have a job opportunity when they are released. Ain''t life great.

[mtminds]

This article exposes highly motivated people who made jobs in a jobless environment. Capitalism in its rawest form. A few get rich at the expense of many.

[bobnjersey]

[Somalia''s increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages. ]

the country has been in total poverty and lawlessness for 20 years but they have luxury car dealers and caters that can be hired?

only in somalia!

[gangesdak]

All the Euripeans did the same in the past. Knighthood was bestowed by Queen Elizabeth to the brazen British pirates who used to loot the Spanish hoodlums who themselves pirated others. Those were the good old days. Now Somalis are doing the same. Bravo, guys! Just don''t get killed.

[getoffmine1]

they are common thieves and they need to be eliminated.

[lggeek]

Seems to me a few well place missiles aim at their strong hold would take care of the problem.

[lggeek]

Seems to me a few well placed missiles aimed at their stronghold would take care of the problem.

[antoniof123]

Someone told me a long time ago and I agreed with them that if we would have spent the money we wasted in Iraq by helping others we would have defeaded the problem.

Well, now look at the fuits of our labor.

[colt8881]

Since when being a Pirate is a good thing. This story made the Pirates seem to be not bad people. I guess its OK to hijack ships and super tankers full of oil, but to hijack a jet is off the menue this article makes it seem ok to Hijack a Super Tanker.

Now that these Douschebag Pirates are getting world wide attention and their picturs are on CNN and CBS this will embolden them for a bigger prise.

Thanks News Networks for making this news.

[brianp55]

I agree...obliterate them and their new houses with missiles.

[antizion]

Privateers or Merchant Mariners helped win the revolutionary war. SO it was OK for the the to do that but now it is not OK for others to do that.

One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorists.

The media never looks at the cause of conflict - injustice. But then, look at who controls the media.

[enlightenu]

Drop the Big One on ''''em, the whole continent is despotic, corrupt and chaotic, from Somalia to the Congo to Zimabwe. Sooner or later they and those like ''''em will need to be taught a lesson. The whole situation is a f---ing joke, the world is going crazy. By illegally invading Iraq, Bush & Blair have made it very difficult to control this outrageous behaviour and we are now paying the price and will continue to do so for many years to come.....Unless we make an example of these people.

Posted by drinuk at 12:58 PM : Nov 19, 2008

So first European colonies completely throw off the entire continents way of life, leave them hanging, so now we should nuke them? How about getting brave enough to invest in development? How about not siphoning off all their oil and gas for paltry fees an d disheveling their environment? How about now raining sludge from gas flares down on their villages? Is that too difficult? It''s easier just to nuke the whole continent? Is that the American way now?

[enlightenu]

Privateers or Merchant Mariners helped win the revolutionary war. SO it was OK for the the to do that but now it is not OK for others to do that.

One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorists.

The media never looks at the cause of conflict - injustice. But then, look at who controls the media.

Posted by AntiZion at 01:09 PM : Nov 19, 2008

That information would make the article too long to be worth reading. The media likes sensationalism. It''s simple and exciting and that is what America likes. Americans would do well to buy more subscriptions to National Geographic.

[docpeter1953]

From the above article, ''Somalia''s increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.''
_____________

Sound errily like what the big co execs and those looking for bailout are trying to do to the commoner here?

[used2bfedup1]

I would think a few 50cal machine guns and ppl that know how to use them would more than take care of this problem.

Did u notice that one of the place that these pirates did business was Dubai? Good ol Bushdom are there.

[ybotheratall]

Gee, radical islamists control the country, stonings and lashings, the kids all go to islamic schools. Sounds like a bunch of animalistic muslims spewing their intolerance and hatred as far as they can go. Blow them all up but get the kids out first so they can be cured of their brainwashing.

[bobnjersey]

[The population makes sure the pirates are well-stocked in qat, a popular narcotic leaf, and offer support from the ground even as the international community tries to quash them. ]

this sounds like it might be one way to develop their economy ... much like the american colonies once had tobacco as their cash crop ... somalia might be able to turn their ''qat'' into a revenue generator.

if you need money ... and you have little else as a means to obtain it ... narcotics fill the void every time. this has been proven repeatedly for hundreds ... if not thousands of years.

they''ll keep the pirating up as long as it''s the easiest path to the money they seek.

[andrew_693]

From the above article, ''''Somalia''''s increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.''''







Turning an organized society into a chaotic one.........Sounds like the same achievements accomplished by the bush administration and his herd of christians in Iraq.

[andrew_693]

I agree...obliterate them and their new houses with missiles.


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Posted by brianp55 at 01:01 PM : Nov 19, 2008




yeah, we should use our million dollar missile, we should spend billions of taxpayers dollars in fuel for our navy to abliterate their 30 thousand dollar home and destroy their 2 thousand dollar speedboat. All these millions of dollars to protect a saudi oil tanker that will make the owners of the country that produced 9-11 hijackers....I say "fack them", let them buy their own protection.

[americanese1]

saudis should send in their own navy and/or mercenaries to get their oil back! Why US or nato?

[sly_64]

They are the "Robin Hoods" of Somalia.

[scb111_1]

Somalia''s increasingly brazen pirates seems to be the jobs created for the 21st Century? I wonder how we all can benefit from this type of enterprize?

[eric_8-2009]

Eventually, a company like Blackwater (military level security company) will be contracted by the shipping companies to ride along and secure the precious cargo. I would. If some ship comes by unannounced, they get blown out of the water. Problem solved.

I may be naive about how easy this should be to institute, but it makes sense. It would be much better to have some insurance on board than not.

[sioux4life1]

GOP don''t you have a rock to crawl under, there good doggie, give you a Bush bisket

[summarex]

Uh Oh!
It looks like the idiots in the press are now prepping us for a campaign against pirates! This means low income Americans will be getting themselves killed in order to protect foreign flagged vessels.
Unbelievable!

[walt1944-2009]

It has been learned that the navies of the world''s super-powers, that is the US, Russia, and Great Britian, claim they are powerless to stop the Somali pirates as they continue to seize shipping at sea.

According to American History, a class that the Great Emperor Bush II slept thru in school, back in the early 1800''s, international shipping was terrorized by roving bands of Islamic pirates operating from Africa. They were called CORSAIRS, and seized any non-Islamic ship sailing off the African coast. If you wanted to protect your ships, you paid them "tribute".

Well, the US stepped in and created the US Navy, with Congress building 6 WOODEN ships to combat the pirates. In a few years, in a joint sea and land operation using US Marines (To the shores of Tripoli!), the US Navy broke the back of the pirates and freed the shipping lanes.

We did it in the early 1800''s using 6 WOODEN SHIPS!

Today, we have huge aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, ships armed with cruise missiles and every high tech weapon imagined, and all costing BILLIONS of dollars.

And with all this technology, WE CAN''T DO WHAT WE DID 200 YEARS AGO!!!!!!!

How PATHETIC!!!!!!!

SIG HEIL, I''M AN ARMCHAIR GENERAL, NOT AN ADMIRAL!!!, BUSH!!!

[demdump]

I''ll quit my job and move there, screw NATO...

[shanev137]

I''m surprised Bush hasn''t invaded Somalia and started carpet bombing all it''s citizens.

[eric_8-2009]

I''m with you Speakingup21. I don''t think that this should be a political issue. Dem Or Rep. This is, let''s say, a Saudi tanker with $100Mil of precious cargo. I would hire a Blackwater team of 10 bad dudes with 50 cals each. That ship ain''t havin'' no more problems. Period. Pay each guy $100K for a 10 day ride and a plane ticket back. Sounds like a better business plan than Wall Street.

Wanna go?

[txlakeside]

Idiot .... a super tanker full of oil (flammable) does not need a gun! Some folks are just idiots that think shooting and killing is the solution! One Super tanker on fire and sinking (from guns) would cost way more than the ransom. Use your intelligence and figure it out! Why not pay the pirates to be the security. Why not make Somalia a place where you can get an education and a job ..... but noooooo .... just give everyone guns and let them "for sure" sink the ships! Idiots!

[demdump]

America should follow India Lead since we can do ******

MOGADISHU - An Indian warship destroyed a pirate "mother vessel" in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Nov. 19, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.

The Indian frigate INS Tabar, one of dozens of warships from several countries protecting shipping lanes in the area, attacked the Somali pirate ship late Nov. 18 after coming under fire, navy spokesman Nirad Sinha said.

Related TopicsAsia & Pacific Rim
Middle East & Africa
Naval Warfare
The incident came as shipping groups reported a new surge in hijackings off Somalia and the International Maritime Bureau said pirates based in the lawless African nation were now "out of control."

"The INS Tabar closed in on the mother vessel and asked her to stop for investigation," the New Delhi navy spokesman said.

"But on repeated calls, the vessel''s threatening response was that she would blow up the naval warship if it approached."

An exchange of fire ensued, causing explosions and the navy ship then used heavy guns. "From what we see in photographs the pirate vessel is completely destroyed," a senior officer said on condition he not be named.

It was the first time a mother ship had been destroyed, in the most significant blow to pirates to date.

[demdump]

Let India Navy in charge....

[smurfcrusher]

"Stealing from the rich, and giving to themselves.
Redistributing wealth - just like Democrats.
Maybe Obama should make these pirates part of his cabinet? They certainly think like Obama does..."

Posted by CBSisPravda

You''ll have to pine about the "good old days" when the ultra rich could siphon off a disproportionate share of tax breaks.

The anti Robin Hood - steal tax dollars from the middle class and give it to the rich. I can live without THAT kind of redistribution, thank you very much.

[a_witness-2009]

I think we should have our own pirates to attack the other pirates or at least do a 50/50 split or a finders fee for capturing the pirates booty back. It''s called fire fighting fire.

[annehere]

to Shanev 137: There is no oil in Somalia, as far as I know. What would he invade for? No carrot... no action.

[annehere]

to Shanev 137: There is no oil in Somalia, as far as I know. What would he invade for? No carrot... no action.

[random_radar]

Pirates in Somalia loot $30 million a year. Big deal.

The pirates in America just looted $700,000,000,000 from us for the banking industry, and trillions more every year for their friends.

Worry more about the pirates running our country and forget about Somalia.

[sensiblejack]

good luck to the pirates...they are using the tools they have. Now that being said if possible they should be captured/killed/imprisoned/executed as the case may be as law and order must be maintained.... but those are the risks... big payday big reward....my advice to each pirate is after one success, take your money and invest in a less dangerous business like selling cigarettes or cars to the remaining pirates....

[escalonz]

On the positive side, as long as the Somali pirates are prospering, we shouldn''''t need to bail them out.
=====================================
Who knows, if they can''t be stopped they may someday bail us out............

[deathofusa]

I don''t know why when I read this story, the first thing that popped in my head was "Obama". Lol. I wonder what that means?

[eric_8-2009]

I don''''t know why when I read this story, the first thing that popped in my head was "Obama". Lol. I wonder what that means?


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Posted by deathofUSA at 04:34 PM : Nov 19, 2008
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It means you''re an idiot with nothing wothwhile to contribute and that you need to go back to school. You left yourself wide open on that one buddy ; )

[jckbrn-2009]

(AP) Somalia''s increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women - even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

Sounds a lot like US elected officials to me - -

[spinproof]

When Movies jump into real life, suddenly its not so glamorous! The hit Movie Pirates of the Caribbean glamorized Pirates led by Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) with sequel Pirates of the Caribbean 4 soon to be released. Maybe Hollywood can give the Somalia Pirates Movie roles, then they won''t need to do it for real! Maybe Hollywood should stop glamorizing Pirates!

[airboatboy1]

no you dont have finest navy.... move over...INDIA HAS THE FINEST NAVY AND THEY HAVE PROVED IT ALREADY.


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Posted by MaharajaG at 05:44 PM : Nov 19, 2008

Ya, right.

[enlightenu]

saudis should send in their own navy and/or mercenaries to get their oil back! Why US or nato?

Posted by americanese1 at 01:58 PM : Nov 19, 2008

Bacause the Saudis say, if you want it so bad you go get it.