http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/18/somalia.pirate/index.html

Quote :

" WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates holding a ship full of tanks and ammunition off the coast of Somalia are likely to be paid millions of dollars in ransom within days, senior U.S. military officials said. Somali pirates holding the MV Faina stand guard on the merchant vessel's deck on October 19. Somali pirates holding the MV Faina stand guard on the merchant vessel's deck on October 19. The pirates have been holding the Ukrainian-operated, Belize-flagged MV Faina and its 20-person crew in the Gulf of Aden since September 25. Military officials said the cash payment will be brought on the ship, directly to the pirates. Such a procedure is common because of the lack of electronic banking in Somalia. The officials would not say how much ransom is being paid or who is paying it because it would be up to the individuals or company to make that announcement. What's known is that the pirates originally asked for a $35 million ransom, but lowered their demand to $20 million, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association told CNN in November. The ship is laden with Soviet-era tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms. The merchant vessel was heading for Kenya, whose government had bought the weapons from Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov said, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Don't Miss * Arms ship's owners strike deal with pirates * Freed sailors: Pirates are animals * Special Report: Troubled Waters Officials said a ransom was close to being paid to the pirates weeks ago, but it did not come through and the merchant vessel remained under control of the hijackers. The captain of the ship died of a heart attack days after the hijacking. His body remains on the ship, kept in a giant cooler to slow down decomposition, officials said. The U.S. Navy has been shadowing the Faina every day since its capture, officials said. There has been some communication with the pirates during that time, such as checks on the status of the crew. The Pentagon has been very interested in this hijacking because of concerns that the large amount of ammunition on board might be taken off the ship and put into the hands of gangs on the Somali shore. Navy officials said its ships would offer medical aid and food to the crew once the pirates give up the ship. advertisement Pirate activity off the coastline of east Africa is a cause of growing international concern, with a number of ships -- including the Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star -- being captured in the past few weeks. The Gulf of Aden is now being patrolled by a number of international navies. "

seriously?

12/18/2008 11:31:01 PM

homies want their weapons back.

you know they're gonna tag that money. I suspect those pirates will turn up dead, one by one.


actually... once those pirates get a big bag full of $20M in cash... and give up the ship... where the fuck are they going to go?

back in their little rubber raft? in an "escape helicopter"? they're going to get blown out of the water/sky



[Edited on December 18, 2008 at 11:47 PM. Reason : ]

12/18/2008 11:44:16 PM

they should just start paying money in Zimbabwean denominations

12/19/2008 12:15:36 AM

so much for that inverse pirate/temperature relationship

12/19/2008 12:28:29 AM

Who's we?

12/19/2008 1:45:21 AM

Quote :

"We pay ransoms now? Did I miss something? "

Yea, you missed the part where we aren't paying the ransom.

12/19/2008 5:09:55 AM

^oh?

Quote :

"to be paid millions of dollars in ransom within days, senior U.S. military officials said"

Quote :

"Military officials said the cash payment will be brought on the ship, directly to the pirates."

Quote :

"The Pentagon has been very interested in this hijacking "

and dont throw this :

Quote :

"who is paying it because it would be up to the individuals or company to make that announcement. "

out to illustrate that we arent the ones paying

[Edited on December 19, 2008 at 8:58 AM. Reason : [b]]

12/19/2008 8:57:50 AM

I think you need to change your name.

The military never said they were paying, they just know it is likely to happen.

Why the hell would we pay for soviet era military equipment owned by the Ukraine?

12/19/2008 9:03:18 AM

Quote :

"so much for that inverse pirate/temperature relationship"

i actually read that 2008 was slightly cooler than 2007.

12/19/2008 9:23:08 AM

^^^lol. Are you serious? Nowhere does it say that the US is paying them. We're just monitoring the situation.

Quote :

"homies want their weapons back. you know they're gonna tag that money. I suspect those pirates will turn up dead, one by one. actually... once those pirates get a big bag full of $20M in cash... and give up the ship... where the fuck are they going to go? back in their little rubber raft? in an "escape helicopter"? they're going to get blown out of the water/sky"

For reals, you don't fuck with the Ukrainians

[Edited on December 19, 2008 at 9:24 AM. Reason : ^I'm sure it was, the temp keeps dropping]

12/19/2008 9:23:56 AM

Quote :

"The officials would not say how much ransom is being paid or who is paying it because it would be up to the individuals or company to make that announcement."

Quote :

"* Arms ship's owners strike deal with pirates"

we are not paying it you idiot

we are interested in making sure the cargo does not reach somali hands, = we will blow it the fuck up if it tries to make port before control is handed over.

Quote :

"I think you need to change your name."

ican'tread2 is more like it

Quote :

"they should just start paying money in Zimbabwean denominations"

lulz

Quote :

"you know they're gonna tag that money. I suspect those pirates will turn up dead, one by one."

pretty much how i see the pirates lives concluding as well...

12/19/2008 10:48:43 AM

there needs to be a sequel to that movie "Lord of War"

12/19/2008 2:46:53 PM

you apparently need to work on your reading comprehension

12/21/2008 7:50:33 PM

here's a little reading comprehension test

Paul knows that bill gates is worth several billion dollars

Does paul have several billion dollars?

12/22/2008 12:20:20 AM

This Paul1984 guys is pretty cool.

12/22/2008 1:58:29 AM

we should pay them in counterfeit bills.

12/22/2008 2:53:07 AM

we should put a bomb on a boat and let them hijack it and then detonate it

12/22/2008 3:10:00 AM

Quote :

"Paul knows that bill gates has worth several billion dollars"

CAN I BE YOUR FRIEND???

12/22/2008 5:00:51 AM

Paul.


Seriously?

12/22/2008 7:31:52 AM

Of course we pay ransom. The Middle East has been holding our way of life hostage for decades and we pay whatever the fuck they demand in return so we get to keep it a little longer.

12/22/2008 8:41:59 AM

Quote :

"there needs to be a sequel to that movie "Lord of War""

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470945,00.html

12/22/2008 3:41:53 PM

nah... they are gonna pay the pirates money from the TARP thingy.

12/24/2008 1:13:03 AM