KUALA LUMPUR - THE killing of three Somali pirates in the dramatic US Navy rescue of a cargo ship captain has sparked concern for other hostages and fears that the stakes have been raised for future hijackings in the lucrative Indian Ocean shipping lane.
Sunday's rescue followed a shootout at sea on Friday by French navy commandos, who stormed a pirate-held sailboat, the Tanit, killed two pirates and freed four French hostages. The French owner of the vessel was also killed in the assault.
The two operations may have been a setback for the pirates but they are unlikely to quell the brigands, who have vowed to avenge the deaths of their comrades.
Experts indicated that piracy in the Indian Ocean off Somalia, which transformed one of the world?s busiest shipping lanes into one of its most dangerous, has entered a new phase with the Navy Seals operations.
It 'could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it,' said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command.
'We are delighted that the captain has been rescued unharmed,' Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's Regional Piracy Center in Kuala Lumpur, said Monday. 'But at the same time we are concerned about the safety of the remaining hostages as well as any future hostages.'
He did not elaborate, but for families of the 228 foreign nationals aboard 13 ships still held by pirates, the fear is revenge on their loved ones.
So far, Somali pirates have never harmed captive foreign crews except for a Taiwanese crew member who was killed under unclear circumstances. In fact, many former hostages say they were treated well and given sumptuous food.
Many of the governments whose ships have been captured - including Taiwan's Win Far 161 with a multinational crew of 30 - are in talks with the pirates and would not comment on the consequences of the American rescue for fear of jeopardising the negotiations.
'We are monitoring the situation closely, but the ship owner wants to keep a low profile to help with their negotiation with the abductors,' Taiwanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Henry Chen said.
He said the crew, comprising 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese, were safe as of Monday. -- AP
