Hunt of the Sea Wolves

More reporting and greater awareness leading to increased government reaction is proving a successful strategy in the battle against piracy, says IMB.

Worldwide piracy attacks fell for the third year in a row according to the latest annual report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau.

In 2006, there were 239 attacks on ships, compared to 276 in 2005 and 329 in 2004 says the annual report, which is based on statistics compiled by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur.

ICC Report:

http://www.icc-ccs.org/main/news.php?newsid=80

Sri Lanka vowed on Thursday to attack and destroy Tamil Tiger military assets, including those in the northern stronghold they control under terms of a tattered 2002 truce, in what is seen as a recipe for years of more war.

Reuters:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL41800.htm

It would be about as long as the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner and would supply enough natural gas to heat 4 million homes a year. And it would be right in the middle of Long Island Sound, halfway between densely populated areas of New York and Connecticut.Although years from going into operation, a proposed floating liquefied natural gas terminal is churning up controversy and uniting politicians, environmentalists and activists.

The proposed $700 million terminal is part of a growing national debate over the presence of liquefied natural gas facilities in coastal cities. The issue has affected communities from Massachusetts to Texas, as cities grapple over environmental and security concerns while also trying to create more energy infrastructure to deal with rising demands.

Philippine troops plan to intensify U.S.-backed assaults on three southern provinces in what could be the final battles to finish off the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf rebel group following the death of its top leader, the military chief said Sunday.The Philippine government announced on Saturday that the country’s most-wanted terror suspect, Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, was killed in a clash with troops four months ago, citing results from DNA testing done in the United States. The announcement came four days after U.S.-backed Philippine troops killed senior Abu Sayyaf commander Abu Sulaiman, one of Janjalani’s possible successors.

China Post:

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/archives/asiapacific/2007122/100637.htm

THE military yesterday denied reports that American forces have been joining Filipino troops in combat against the Al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

Involving US troops in Philippine military operations would violate the Constitution, Armed Forces spokesman Jose Angel Honrado said.

But he did not deny the presence of American troops in the southern part of the country, which he said was part of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Manila Standard:

 http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news6_jan17_2007

From the Manila Sun Star 

THE Philippine Marine Corps said they would finish off the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) within the year. Marines spokesman Ariel Caculitan said Marine officials have been continuously receiving reports on the whereabouts of the remaining terrorist leaders and members.

Caculitan said the operations last Saturday in Tawi-Tawi was conducted based on information by the civilians who stand to get a P1 million reward earmarked for the neutralization of one of the Abu Sayyaf leaders, Ibrahim Hassan.Apart from Hassan, a trustee of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, the other prominent terrorists slain in the operation were Gufran alias Abu Samur, an Indonesian JI member who is a trustee of infamous JI leader Dulmatin.

Caculitan said last Saturday’s accomplishment only goes to show that military’s fight against terrorism is gaining ground “and our troops are not stopping at this accomplishment. We are looking forward to the year 2007 to intensify our efforts against them.”

What makes LNG attractive to a terrorist, according to Anne Korin, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, is often the tankers used to transport it travel within one or two miles of densely populated areas — an attack would cause damaging economic effects and mass causalities.

Armed with machine guns, rifles, machetes and knives, marauding bands of robbers slithered onto hundreds of ships last year, harassing, assaulting and even killing crew members before making off with untold fortunes.

Long Beach Press Telegram story:

http://www.presstelegram.com/business/ci_4975518