CrimeArticles.doc

Global Piracy Attacks up Again 26 Oct 2009
Snapshot
A 30,000 tonne Panamanian-registered vessel has been hijacked and the ship, its crew and its cargo held for ransom by Somali pirates off the East African coast.
Piracy has long been a menace in the Malacca Straits, but cooperation among the navies of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand has contained it.
Facts and Stats
· This was the 30th such event to date
· Most ships have been released on payment of ransoms reported to be of US$1.5m to US$5m.
· Despite the presence in the area of more than 20 warships from the navies of the EU, the US, India and China, it has proved impossible to eliminate the problem, because the area of sea to be patrolled is so huge (unlike the Malacca Straits.)
· Even if the navies catch the pirates, it is difficult to know what to do with them. “Kill them” is tempting, but pirates have human and legal rights, which the navies are obliged to observe!

Why is this important?
Freedom of navigation of the seas is a fundamental condition of international trade. Whatever interferes with it, strikes at the ability of the world to do business.
Rerouting the ships to avoid the area drives up costs and wastes energy.In the end this will be reflected in the price you and I pay in the supermarket.
Some of the cash paid in ransom may reach the pockets of extremist Islamic groups who flourish in the area (which has no effective government) and end up funding terrorism.
It is objectionable that a small group should with impunity express its contempt for international order.

Two Executed over Milk Powder Scandal, 24 November 2009
Snapshot
China executed two milk producers for selling more than three million pounds of contaminated milk products in connection with a food-safety scandal that killed six infants and sickened more than 300,000 children in 2008. The authorities found that the melamine was added to create the illusion of a higher protein content in the powder.
Facts and Stats
· The executions come after the life sentence handed down by the same court to former Sanlu chairman Tian Wenhua amid a series of sentences handed out to 21 Sanlu executives and suppliers.
· Tian's relatively lenient sentence has drawn ire from many of the victims’ families.
Why is this important?
The scandal caused panic among Chinese parents, weakened the nation’s dairy industry and provoked a global recall of Chinese-made dairy products. Since then, China has tightened regulations and increased inspections on producers and exporters. But it is a tough task to police the country's 450,000 registered food production and processing enterprises, of which about 350,000 employ less than 10 people.

Somali Suicide Bomber ‘Was From Denmark’,
10 December 2009
Snapshot
A suicide bomber, linked to the Al-Shabab group, who killed at least 22 people at a graduation in Somalia was brought up in Denmark, officials say. The bombing took place at a graduation for medical students on 3 December in one of the few parts of the capital, Mogadishu, which is controlled by the government. The students had been graduating from Benadir University, which was set up in 2002 to train doctors to replace those who had fled overseas or been killed in the civil war.
Facts and Stats
· Three ministers were among the dead.
· Al-Shabab, which wants to enforce a strict version of Islamic law in Somalia, is accused of having links to al-Qaeda.
· Somalia has had no effective government for almost 20 years.
Why is this important?
Many people have the misconception that terrorism could only breed in war-torn or middle-eastern countries. This news report shows that regardless of location, terrorism could be fuelled, even in a European and first-world country like Denmark. This also shows that terrorist groups are capable of penetrating different regions of the world as long as they have the right resources. National security can no longer be taken for granted.

Rwanda jails journalist Valerie Bemeriki for genocide,
14 December 2009
Snapshot
A Rwandan journalist who encouraged Hutus to slaughter Tutsis during the 1994 genocide has been jailed for life.
Facts and Stats
· She was one of the most prominent voices of Radio Mille Collines - a station which became notorious for its encouragement of the slaughter.
· The station was launched in 1993, backed by relatives of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana - whose death in a plane crash helped to trigger the genocide.
· About 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100 days in Rwanda.
Why is this important?
The genocide happened more than a decade ago, and justice has only been served to perpetrators such as Bemeriki. This goes to show that international war crimes could happen within a short span of time, with thousands of lives on the death toll, and yet, the road to recovery for the victims and the countries is long and arduous. This is a point worth bearing in mind for national leaders leading countries teeming with different races. At what cost does a country pay for freedom of speech? In Rwanda’s case, about 800,000 lives.
JJC News Anthology 2009

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