[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN prosecutors filed charges that carry the death penalty on Friday against seven Somali pirate suspects in an attack on a Malaysian-operated ship, in the first such charges in Asia against the African sea bandidos.The Somalis - some as young as 15 years old - took 23 Filipino crew members captive aboard a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Jan 20. Malaysian naval commandos responsible for protecting the vessel stormed it less than two hours later and freed the crew. The pirates shot at the commandos, but no injuries were reported.
Malaysian government lawyers on Friday charged the men with using firearms against Malaysian armed forces personnel with the intention of causing death or hurt.
The charge carries a penalty of death by hanging, but prosecutors said that if convicted, three of the Somalis are expected to have their sentence commuted to prison terms because they were 15-year-old minors.
The Somalis looked grim while handcuffed behind their backs and wearing bright orange overalls at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court. They did not immediately enter any plea. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing March 15.
South Korea and India also are holding dozens of Somali pirate suspects expected to be charged soon.