Firstly, allow me to offer my condolences to the families of these young men.
Secondly, allow me to put my position across.
The argument that these young men in some way deserved what they got because they were sailing through a notoriously risky stretch of ocean no longer applies in this case, and another recent case involving a British couple. Paul and Rachel Chandler spent just over a year in captivity in Somalia after their boat was hi-jacked by Somali pirates. The British public spent the whole year watching their pleas for help inside Somalia, whilst at the backs of their minds (myself included), they were thinking: you bloody fools. You've only got your stupid selves to blame for the mess you're in. After their release it transpired through official channels that they'd been sailing in a part on the Indian ocean what was widely thought to be beyond the reach of Somali pirates. The Chandlers were in fact, according to the Seychelles coast guard, a long, long way from the Somali coast. Basically, it would now seem that the entire western half of the Indian ocean is within reach of Somali pirates; who are no longer just darting-out from coastal inlets, but are now operating from ocean-going motherships equiped with sophisticated tracking and communication equipment.
I'm with Westwall in terms of how we, US, UK (predictably, we always seem to have to sort this kind of thing out) should deal with this menace. UAV's, pure and simple. Helicopters are out of the question as they're too big, not to mention they make a lot of noise. UAV's can stay in the area for a prolonged period of time and in doing so can establish who's up to no good and who is just fishing the sea. The UAV can then track a confirmed suspect back to their mothership or shore base and then either drop a bomb on the pirates or direct a commando unit to their location. Oh, and arrest these scumbags? Please, all that'll happen to them is they'll rebound around the already unclear legal framework that deals with criminals captured in international water and be set free after it's obvious that no-one wants to take responsibility for them.
Oh, and just one last thing, I promise. If, for whatever reason, you need to navigate a dangerous stretch of water; whether it be off the coast of Venezuala or the Somali coast, do so in a vessel that's fast enough to make an escape; and for pity's sake, at least have a reliable 12-guage on board or a couple of handguns. Because if I were off the Somali coast, and Mohammed and Ishmail drew-up alongside one night, they'd both get a face full of buckshot!
me too
