【UNIT 6.】Pirates

※Article :

The seas around Indonesia and Singapore are some of the busiest in the world and some of the most dangerous. Last year more than a hundred ships were hijacked by pirates in Indonesian waters, a reflection of the growing lawlessness in the rest of the country. Using small fast-moving boats, the pirates creep up on large cargo ships, often at night, and can usually overpower the crew quickly. The crew is then either set adrift or killed. The ships are re-named and re-painted. Many have later been discovered operating along the southern coast of China.
The offer by Japan to send its own patrol boats down to south east Asia is the first sign of a co-ordinated international campaign against the pirates. The conference in Singapore is likely to be the first in a series of meetings this year, aimed at reducing the number of attacks in these vital shipping lanes. A British company has even proposed putting retired Gurkha officers on board ships in East Asian waters to protect them, although so far no-one has taken them up on their offer.

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※Summary:

The seas around Indonesia and Singapore are not very tranquil, since the lanes are busy with cargo ships passing. The pirates use small fast-moving boats to get closer to large cargo ships, they usually overpower the crew in a very short of time. Those crews are either cast out to sea in a boat without any controls or killed. The ships will be given a new name and changed its appearance. Japan sends its own patrol boats down to south east Asia, while a British company considers to put retired Gurkha officers on board ships in East Asian seas to protect them.

※Reaction:

This report amazed me when I read it for the first time, and even the second time could I hardly believe there are still pirates existing nowadays! Aren't they only existed in the middle centuries or story books for kids? Pirates, who hijack and kill, has became a problem taken as a top priority for many countries who's ships pass through seas around Indonesia and Singapore.