Is Seychelles turning a blind eye to pirates?
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Independent Minds
The overwhelming public impression of the Seychelles is of idyllic tropical islands, untouched by the troubles of a turbulent region, and highly popular with upmarket Western tourists.
But the islands have also become popular with pirates displaced from waters further north in the Gulf of Aden by a 40-strong international naval flotilla.
Rising concern over the presence of these pirates led the European Union to invest €1m (£900,000) to bolster the country's legal infrastructure; the US deployed "drone" spotter planes in the islands; and French and Russian warships patrolled the area.
However, security companies have reported that the government of the Seychelles has done deals with the pirates which would allow them to operate as long as they do not affect the interests of the Seychelles.
One example of this, it is claimed, was the government's release of 11 Somalis arrested after the attempted hijacking of two French tuna trawlers. The men were captured by the Seychellois coastguard vessel, Topaze, following information from a spotter plane of the EU's anti-piracy task force Atalanta, earlier this month, but then swiftly released.
The government of Puntland, a breakaway region of Somalia, complained when two Seychellois light aircraft landed on its territory and freed 23 Somali pirates. The plane and the crew were released after paying a fine.
The Seychellois government denies any deal with the pirates. But Iderat Maritime, a leading shipping security company which lists Major-General Julian Thompson, the former commander of the Royal Marines, as one of its directors, stated that the government has probably reached an "understanding" with the pirates. Information from within Somalia appears to confirm this.
Christopher Ledger, vice-chairman of Iderat Maritime, said: "These reports have been quite persistent and need to be looked at. We are not saying that the abduction of [Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple who were kidnapped by Somali pirates last week] had anything to do with any such links."
The Seychellois government says it is taking action against the pirates and the President, James Michel, has authorised the deployment of extra troops.
Noel Morgan, a cabinet member and head of the High-Level Committee on Piracy, said: "The Seychelles Peoples' Defence Force will act as a deterrence force to any approaching pirate vessels, and our forces will complement the Seychelles and international naval forces in the region. We have 1.4 million square miles of ocean and for this reason it is a greater challenge to guarantee the security of our waters alone."
The most direct sign of Western involvement is the stationing of the 36ft MQ-9 Reaper drones, the size of jets. The aircraft are fitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting, can fly up to 16 hours and are capable of carrying a dozen guided bombs and missiles.
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Comments
To say that the Seychelles is turning a blind eye to pirates, is the most erroneous statement you could ever make. If this was indeed the truth can you explain the following to us, Seychellois.
1. How come the Seychelles have allowed drones to be positioned here?
2. Why did the Seychelles recently sign Status of Armed Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the USA, France and soon the European Union for personnel based here?
3. How do you explain the surge in calls by naval vessels to Port Victoria for logistics reasons?
4.For what reason is France helping Seychelles develop the right legal framework in order for the state to successfully bring the pirates to justice?
5. Why are commanders of the various naval vessels jetting in and out of Seychelles, offering support, if not at the request of the government of Seychelles?
There are signs all over the place that we are in bad need of help and have sought help from all who can afford to help. Your comment that the most direct sign of western involvement is the positioning of the drones here shows how badly informed you are. The 5 points listed above counters this statement solidly.
Your report regrettably, does only one thing. It potentially damages our fragile economy further, especially in the wake of the recent worldwide economic crisis, which did not spare us.
I suggest you put your facts right and you have only one thing to do and this is to ring the British High Commission in Victoria who is the contact for the EUNAVFOR in Seychelles and he will brief you on what is happening on the ground here.
We, Seychellois are as concerned as any one with the presence of pirates in our waters and the threats they pose to our population, especially our fishermen and visitors to our shores and our outlying islands. In the streets of Victoria, our capital, this is the talk of the town. And believe me everyone demands that our government takes decisive and appropriate action to contain any threat and deals with pirates are not condoned here.
We are 12 hours flight from London. I suggest you take this fact finding trip for yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Arnold Chetty
Victoria
Mahe
Seychelles.
arnold@seychelles.net
Though Seychellois and not particularly in love with the current Administration in the Seychelles, and notwithstanding the necessity to investigate the basis of the reported claims by Iderat Maritime, the very idea of the Seychelles' Government entering into a deal with pirates sounds like something cooked up in the mind of someone with no sense of either the reality of the piracy threat to vulnerable, isolated small island states or of the legal quagmire in prosecuting persons arrested on suspicion of piracy.
Your article seems only to ferret ways to distract from the real issues of the need to bring stability to Somalia, maintaining an effective international naval deterrent force against piracy in the western Indian Ocean area, and safeguarding the security and sovereignty of vulnerable island nations.
Bear in mind that the Seychelles' economy is based on tourism. Its sovereignty extends to remote islands well within the reach of recent pirates' attack on shipping. Some of these islands have upscale tourist resorts, ergo the recent decision to deploy troops in order to deter any land attack by pirates operating in the area! In this and the other context of the national clamour when Seychellois were captured and held by Somali pirates, there is scope for any deals
Miss Sengupta
As a National of the Seychelles and the UK I am ashamed and inraged at this week, Ill-informed and obviously badly researched article that is nothing other than an inflammatory attempt to sell more news papers.
There is absolute no credible evidence to support what can only be construed as certain Individuals own personal thoughts and poor Journalism.
It is not only the Seychelles that has released Pirates! In the Seychelles case it was done to free some Seychellois that had been taken hostage. Pirates are freed on a daily basis because international laws prevent the Naval assets in the region from detaining them for prosecution even when they have been seen dumping their equipment over the side before they are boarded.
"However, security companies have reported that the government of the Seychelles has done deals with the pirates which would allow them to operate as long as they do not affect the interests of the Seychelles.”
If indeed there was some deal between the Seychelles and the Pirates then why are the latest spate of attacks generally targeting Fishing Vessels which are departing from Seychelles. The main economy of the Seychelles is a 50 50 split between Fishing and Tourism.
That i would suggest in my opinion is a direct attack on the Seychelles economy and NOT as you so politely put it Seychelles Interests! A contradiction to your statement Miss Sengupta!!??
Seychelles is an Island Nation and relies heavily on shipping to replenish stocks of just about everything from Toilet paper to Fuel! How is having vessels deterred from coming to the Seychelles in Our Interests Miss Sengupta?
Yes the Seychelles are Ill equipped to deal with such a problem and as such have to rely heavily on International Aid which they have done and done so speedily!
Rather than writing inflammatory rubbish Miss Sengupta would you not be better researching Why the Nato, EU, British, American French, Indian, Russian etc Navies have their hands tied by burocratic mandates to their mission, why these Pirates can not be prosecuted easily, Why the International task forces have to release them after they have been detained, Why no country is prepared to prosecute them (including the UK) or house them in Prisons!
Why the poor pirates have human rights and Apparently the Seychellois dont!!
If you did you would have a decent story!
I have lived in the Seychelles for 15 years and in that time I have never seen such a sizable Military presence! I sincerely doubt they would be here had there been any such deal between the Seychelles and The Pirate gangs of Somalia.
I would hope in the future you would write articles with factual evidence in them rather than basing them on speculation, rumour and here say!
If you had left your cosy office and bothered to visit and talk to our Government and the military forces then you may have a better picture of the situation and something of substance to write about!
This article had done nothing but damage our fragile economy further and so for that I must thank you! I am sure it is an empowering feeling to be able to ruin an economy from the comfort of your office!
It makes one wonder what’s worse Pirates or Journalists!
Yours Sincerely
Alastair Maiden
Victoria
Mahe
Rep of Seychelles
seal@seychelles.net
Ah hour of research will prove to you that you have all your facts wrong. The Seychelles is currently the premier base for fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean. Our country, together with forces of the United States, EU, India, and others that have lent a helping hand in this critical time, are doing their utmost to fight this scourge which have threatened the livelihood of our small nation. If you had done an iota of homework, you would know that we depend on tourism and fishing for our livelihood. Thus, every ship that is taken in or around our territory sends shockwaves through the community. Last year, 10 of our seamen were taken hostage and spent as long as 6 months in captivity in Somalia. Whilst the Government of Seychelles did not pay ransoms, it is clear that some private donors did in order to secure the release of these poor brave souls. Our small Coast Guards continue to ply the waters on a daily basis, our soldiers are stationed on many of our outlying islands, all watching out for these scumbags that have come to rule the Western Indian Ocean.
So while you sit in your cushy London office sipping tea and writing idiotic articles, think of these poor sailors out there risking their lives so that you can buy a can of tuna from our waters or eat our fresh fish that are delivered via airfreight to Tescos and Selfridges!
You owe the people of Seychelles (we are called SEYCHELLOIS) an apology, and nothing short of you getting fired would please me most! Your Editor is no better if he allowed such a damaging article to be published. Shame on you and shame of your newspaper for this irresponsible behaviour.
A PROUD SEYCHELLOIS!
Though Seychellois and not particularly in love with the current Administration in the Seychelles, and notwithstanding the necessity to investigate the basis of the reported claims by Iderat Maritime, I find the very idea of the Seychelles' Government entering into a deal with pirates sounds like something cooked up in the mind of someone with no sense of either the reality of the piracy threat to vulnerable, isolated small island states or of the legal quagmire in prosecuting persons arrested on suspicion of piracy.
Your article seems only to ferret ways to distract from the real issues of the need to bring stability to Somalia, maintaining an effective international naval deterrent force against piracy in the western Indian Ocean area, and safeguarding the security and sovereignty of vulnerable island nations.
Bear in mind that the Seychelles' economy is based on tourism. Its sovereignty extends to remote islands well within the reach of recent pirates' attack on shipping. Some of these islands have upscale tourist resorts, ergo the recent decision to deploy troops in order to deter any land attack by pirates operating in the area! In this and the other context of the national clamour when Seychellois were captured and held by Somali pirates, there is no scope for any deals!
As a proud Seychellois living in the UK for the last 20 odd years, I felt it was my duty to offer the esteemed readers of the Independent, a more balanced view of the true situation of Piracy in the region. It is not a Seychelles specific problem but an international regional problem requiring an international response within which the Seychelles is currently playing its part and will continue to do so within the realms of its naval and aerial capabilities.
The Seychelles is a tiny group of islands with less than a hundred thousand inhabitants and limited resources occupying territorial waters of approximately 1.4 million square kilometres in a vast ocean. The Seychelles territorial waters unfortunately happens to border vast sways of East Africa which in turns extends to lawless Somalia. To expect this small Country to have the full strenght capability to defend such a huge area of ocean is unreasonable.
The article insinuates that the Seychelles authorities are acting in cahoots with the Pirates which is a blatantly false assumption borne out of poor research on the part of this journalist. The contrary is true. In spite of limited resources, our small navy has relentlessly patrolled those troubled waters to offer a degree of protection to mariners of all nations and with some success specifically when a number of pirates were apprenended and processed on the islands earlier this year.
Recently, the European Union, India and the USA, at the behest of the Seychelles Government, have been helping to patrol that stretch of the Seychelles territorial waters. Only this month agreement was reached to station US navy unmanned reconnaisance vehicles in the Seychelles with the specific task of providing aerial intelligence on the movement of suspected pirates in that region. This act alone demonstates clearly the intention of the Seychelles authorities to combat the scurge of piracy in the region as it has a direct impact on economic activity on the islands especially at a time when the authorities are locked in a battle to restructure the island's economy.
There is another issue at stake with regards to captured pirates by the International navy. When ever a pirate is apprehended by the International Navy, they are faced with this dilemna of what to do with them. A pattern seems to be developping where somehow they expext either the Kenyan or Seychelles legal process to deal with this issue. First and foremost, it is near impossible to prove in a court of law and beyond any reasonable doubt that, a Somalian picked up at sea, suspected of engaging in the act of piracy, is actually a pirate. Secondly there is the added cost of keeping these people in custody for long periods of time which in itself is unsustainable. Thirdly, Somalia does not have diplomatic representation in the region which eleiminates the option of handing them over to their embassies. Repatriation seems to be the only course for these suspected pirates. This is not an easy decision for anyone to make but the fact is neither the Seychelles or the Kenyans want to become the dumping ground for suspected pirates. They have enough troubles coping with theneeds of their own populations.
In conclusion, I would say that the article perhaps unintentionally painted the wrong picture of what is actually happening with regard to piracy in the region. The Seychelles does not condone piracy in any shape or form and is doing what it can do cope with this threat which lies hundreds of miles at sea. Holidaying in Seychelles is an extremely low risk activity as it always has been and no one should be put off by an innacurate article in a respected newspaper.
R Francourt
regisfrancourt@hotmail.com
Dear Editor,
I refer to the article featured in the Independent entitled “Is Seychelles turning a blind eye to pirates?” by Kim Sengupta, Defence Correspondent.
On behalf of the Seychelles government I would like to issue the following clarifications regarding several misleading statements used in the article.
The Seychelles government rejects allegations that ‘the islands have also become popular with pirates’.
Seychelles has 1.4 million square kilometres of ocean as part of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and 115 islands, and there is no evidence that the islands are being used by pirates or frequented by pirates in the way that the paper suggests. Seychelles immediate territorial waters are safe, and there have been no pirate attacks within this area. However the Seychelles’ EEZ has been threatened by piracy on numerous occasions; it covers a vast expanse of water.
Furthermore the Seychelles government has not made any “deals with the pirates which would allow them to operate as long as they do not affect the interests of the Seychelles,” as alleged by the newspaper. The frequency of attacks which have had a direct economic impact on the Seychelles economy resulting in a 30% reduction in port activity, make any such claims completely illogical. The Seychelles government treats the issue of piracy as an activity which is a direct threat to its wellbeing and sovereignty and is a committed partner in the fight against piracy in the region.
The interests of Seychelles are to ensure the security of its citizens, as well as the two main pillars of its economy; tourism and fishing. Therefore the Seychelles would never allow criminal gangs, such Somali pirate groups to operate in its waters, and thus endangering the lives and livelihood of the Seychellois people.
The release of 11 suspected pirates that the article refers to was effected due to the lack of evidence to arrest and charge them. Seychelles has acted within the parameters of international law and human rights considerations. It is to be noted that many nations have released suspected pirates at sea in this manner due to lack of evidence, and the Seychelles’ forces actions are consistent with those of other partners in similar circumstances.
Equally in relation to the Seychelles repatriation of 23 pirates in September, their release was in relation to the lack of formal evidence allowing prosecution. Seychelles does not detain people indefinitely, as this is against their human rights and against international law. There was insufficient evidence to try them for charges of piracy in Seychelles courts, and following this they had to be released. They could not be released in Seychelles as they were prohibited immigrants, and therefore had to be deported by a special flight to Somalia (no scheduled flights exist). Therefore no ‘understanding’ was reached with the pirates.
It is to be noted also, that the Republic of Kenya, and the Republic of Seychelles are the only countries that have attempted to take pirates for the purpose of prosecution in the region.
Somalia is rife with rumour, as is the security community that the articles refer to. However these rumours are set against a background of conflict, criminality and political instability.
Seychelles has made every effort to combat piracy in the region. Since February President James Michel has been working to develop military cooperation with international partners with the aim of creating a surveillance hub for international forces in Seychelles. This has included the stationing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Seychelles by the US. Seychelles has pursued anti-piracy operations in active cooperation with NATO, EU, Russian, Chinese, and US Naval Forces in the region.
The Seychelles government considers that long term solutions lies in Somalia and it is committed to support all initiatives that aim to bring peace and stability back to Somalia.
Thank you,
Jean-Paul Adam
Secretary of State
Office of the President, State House, P.O Box 55, Victoria, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles
The only report on the Idarat (not Iderat) makes absolutely no mention of any "deals". This is what they report:
"There is also the possibility, which cannot be proven, that the authorities in the Seychelles are afraid to deal harshly with pirates, because of the threat they represent to the country’s vital tourism industry."
http://www.idaratmaritime.com/wordp
It says that the Seychelles people might be afraid. My brother-in-law is a fisherman who ventures in a very small boat each day risking his life not just against the natural perils of the oceans, but now with the fear of being taken hostage by Somali pirates each day.
The inherent suggestion behind this phrase,"But the islands have also become popular with pirates... " that pirates are welcome in the Seychelles (tourists and "also" pirates") requires an apology from a newspaper I have until now respected and read daily on-line. An apology to the Seychelles people and to my brother-in-law.
To continue, "One example of this... ". The Idarat weblog gives only one example and it is not of a deal. So we have only the word of Kim Sengupta for this suggestion that a string of deals have been done, which would be absolutely ridiculous. The article takes one example which is exagerated out of proportion with the constant use of the plural "security companies". Only one is mentioned. "deals" only one incident and no mention or evidence of an actual "deal" outside of the article.
This is what Idarat says on its website, which reflects the objective facts I have read in the local and international press:
"There is also the possibility, which cannot be proven, that the authorities in the Seychelles are afraid to deal harshly with pirates, because of the threat they represent to the country’s vital tourism industry. On the 12th October the Seychelles released a suspected Somali pirate ship and its 11 crew captured after the attack on the French trawlers, Drennec & Glenan, an indication that the Seychelles is not prepared to take risks with the Somalis. In September, Puntland accused the Seychelles Government of exchanging 23 suspect pirates caught in its waters for three of its citizens; the seamen arrived home on the 13th September. It is said that the pirates threatened to kill the Seychelles seamen."
One incident. Please deflated these "dealS", these "persistent reports" and above all the sensationalist "popular with pirates" into one simple incident.
As someone who is in a position to witness the hard work being done by this government to try to stop the piracy in our region, i feel real angry, frustrated and sad that people like you are given the power to write total crap and then call it news.
Do you know the suffering of our people here when our families where taken hostages, do you know the hell we went through, and do you know who was there every day fighting for us. Yes our government, The President himself and Minister Joel Morgan worked tirelessly every day with his staff, and everyone of us Seychellois prayed for the safe return of our countrymen. It is this same Government who has been asking for help from right left to help our people and yes the foreign nationals that frequent our waters because our economy depends on it.
i hope to God or whatever deity you pray to that you never has to experience what these people went through and still going through as we still have a seychellois held captive.
Why dont you do everyone a favour and shut up, and leave the report of news to real journalist that depends on facts and not here say.
dishanna@hotmail.co.uk