Potential Hot Spots: January 3, 2001

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Piracy continues to escalate, climbing 40% in 1999 and tripling since 1990. There were 283 reported incidents in 1999, of which 133 were in Indonesia and 72% were while the ship was docked in port. Most of the rest were conducted by group of impoverished fishermen who board a merchant ship to steal cash and valuables at gunpoint. Relatively few cases involve stealing the entire ship and killing the crew. Some revolutionary groups (such as the Tamil Tigers from Sri Lanka) obtain this kind of ship and use it to make money on legitimate commerce or to support smuggling operations. International criminal groups sometimes use these phantom vessels, picking up cargoes only to "disappear" and re-register yet again to pick up another cargo that can be stolen. Many nations are reluctant to spend the money to fight pirates in their waters, but even more reluctant to allow foreign nations such as the US and Japan to send ships that could do the job.--Stephen V Cole

 

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