Residents call for end of piracy

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-26-2008 14:08

Meanwhile, people in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, are calling for an end to the piracy and fighting. They blame both for a dramatic rise in the cost of living.

Somalia's pirates have earned millions of dollars in ransom. They currently hold about a dozen ships and 200 crew members hostage. (CCTV.com)

Somalia's pirates have earned millions of dollars in ransom. They currently hold about a dozen ships and 200 crew members hostage.

But with most goods being imported and shippers unwilling to do business in Somalia, the piracy is also causing sky rocketing prices. Many Somalis can no longer afford essential commodities like food.

Mohmyd Gelleh, Mogadishu Resident, said, "I see Somali pirates as bandits who are servants of other groups whose interest is not Somalis'. We have to stop them as they portray Somalis as bad people."

The upsurge in attacks off Somalia's coast this year is forcing many shipping companies to go round South Africa instead of via the Suez Canal.

They are also paying more for insurance. Despite the presence of foreign warships, analysts say the area the pirates operate in is too vast to properly control.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei