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Seoul Mulling Prisoner Swap with Somali Pirates
The government may consider an exchange of five Somali pirates captured by the Navy in a rescue operation with the crew of a fishing trawler who have been held by pirates in the lawless country since November. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin hinted at the unorthodox solution when he met members of the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Monday to report on the rescue of a Korean freighter in the Gulf of Aden. When some committee members called for a prisoner swap, Kim promised to consult other government officials in the matter. But the Foreign Ministry is reportedly skeptical about the idea. Officials there said pirates and Korean sailors cannot be exchanged on an equal footing, and it is unclear if such a swap is feasible since the freighter Samho Jewelry and the trawler Keummi may have been hijacked by different gangs. Government officials considered handing the captives over to be tried in a third country like Kenya or Oman, but this proved difficult and the government is now minded to bring them to Korea. The committee was also told that the pirates had missiles and other weapons that posed a serious danger to the Korean Navy ship.
Meanwhile, the rescued Samho Jewelry reached Omani waters Monday but is not expected to dock in Muscat until Thursday because it will take time to discuss how to handle the captured and killed pirates. Posted by: Steve White 2011-01-25 |
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