Daily Lesson from Life 19 December 2008

"Malaysian warship rescues China ship
It helped Chinese sailors repel Somali pirates in dramatic battle. -Fri, Dec 19, 2008 The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian warship was the vessel that helped Chinese sailors repel Somali pirates who had boarded their ship in a dramatic high-seas battle, a maritime watchdog said.

"A Malaysian military helicopter fired warning shots at the pirates' boat. This forced the sea raiders to abandon their operation to hijack the ship," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Board?s piracy reporting centre.


On Wednesday, a band of pirates boarded the Chinese commercial vessel Zhenhua 4 in the Gulf of Aden but the sailors held them off for several hours.

Their heroic actions gave the international coalition patrolling the pirate-infested region time to seek the assistance of the Malaysian warship KD Inderasakti.

"The coalition forces requested assistance from the Malaysian warship to fight off the pirate attack," Choong said, adding that ?the warship then deployed the helicopter?.


Malaysia had deployed the warship to protect its commercial ships after two vessels were hijacked by pirates in August. A tugboat, said to be Malaysian, was also captured by pirates this week and remains in their hands.

Increasingly emboldened pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean since the start of this year."

It is a good story to comment on as it shows that to tackle an area that lies in the 'no man land' or 'no man sea', international cooperation is critical in succeeding to stop the pirates of Aden sea!

Lessons for me are:

1. the pirates are the bad guys and should not be allowed to challenge the sovereign states whose vessels ply the straits of Aden! There should be no mercy in hitting back at them with full force!;

2. leaders take decisively actions in time of crisis. Hopefully with proper contingency planning, actions taken in an crisis are those that were carefully considered, rehearsed, and proper! This international collaboration between Chinese and Malaysian are great example of helping each others to solve an emergency!;

3. leaders should built on such a good case and engage in more collaborative efforts. The iron is hot and leaders must strike immediately. This will save a lot of efforts in reiterating the pros of collaboration. By taking decisively actions building on good result, it is easier to bring others, maybe doubting Thomas, to come in and try the model.

May the pirates be defeated mercilessly as in this day and age, sea robbers should not be romanticized anymore! Each should have a properly way to make a living! Criminal behaviors simply cannot be allowed!