Thailand Joins Anti-Piracy Mission Off Somalia
forces patrolling the dangerous vast regions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, infested with Somali piracy.
On Friday, a Thai naval fleet left its shores on a 98-day-long anti-piracy mission in the dangerous waters off Somalia.
A warship and a supply ship, carrying officers and sailors, departed from Sattahip Naval Base, south-east of Thai capital Bangkok, for its week-long journey to the Gulf of Aden.
Rear-Admiral Chaiyoth Suntornnak, leading the 371-member Pirate Suppression Mission, said the team is "100 per cent ready" to "play a role in cooperating with the international community" in protecting one of the world's busiest shipping areas..
Vessels are being seized frequently in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast despite the strong presence of international naval forces, including from the NATO and the European Union, in the region.
Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, says Somali pirates are now operating near the Maldives and India, beyond the Seychelles.
Somali Pirates hold merchant vessels and sailors demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms for their release. Most of the gangs are based in northern Somalia's Puntland region.
On Friday, a Thai naval fleet left its shores on a 98-day-long anti-piracy mission in the dangerous waters off Somalia.
A warship and a supply ship, carrying officers and sailors, departed from Sattahip Naval Base, south-east of Thai capital Bangkok, for its week-long journey to the Gulf of Aden.
Rear-Admiral Chaiyoth Suntornnak, leading the 371-member Pirate Suppression Mission, said the team is "100 per cent ready" to "play a role in cooperating with the international community" in protecting one of the world's busiest shipping areas..
Vessels are being seized frequently in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast despite the strong presence of international naval forces, including from the NATO and the European Union, in the region.
Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, says Somali pirates are now operating near the Maldives and India, beyond the Seychelles.
Somali Pirates hold merchant vessels and sailors demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms for their release. Most of the gangs are based in northern Somalia's Puntland region.
