Thai navy anti-piracy contingent leaves for international operations off Somali coast

Thai navy anti-piracy contingent leaves for international operations off Somali coast
http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/100793.html

BANGKOK, Sept 10 – A Royal Thai Navy anti-piracy contingent with 350 Thai naval personnel left Thailand Friday morning to join the international maritime patrol operations combating piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Two ships, HTMS Pattani and HTMS Similan, have sailed for the Gulf of Aden. The HTMS Pattani is a Chinese-built European-equipped patrol vessel, while HTMS Similan carries the reserve fuel supply.

The departure came following a Cabinet resolution which allowed the Royal Thai Navy to organise and dispatch a flotilla to join the international operation in the Gulf of Aden, off the Somali coast, with the Bt270 million (US$7.7 million) budget allocated for the 98-day mission.

Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan presided over the embarkation ceremony of the anti-piracy unit at Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand’s eastern province of Chonburi.

Many relatives, and well-wishers from government and the community gathered there to see off their family members who are participating as part of the Thai navy’s anti-piracy contingent.

The Thai anti-piracy unit will protect and escort Thai cargo and fishing vessels sailing across the piracy-impacted sea routes leading from the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea, and across
the Gulf of Aden.

Rear Admiral Chaiyot Sunthornnak, commander of the Thai navy’s anti-piracy unit, said before the embarkation that navy personnel are now prepared to carry out their duties and
responsibilities in a wider sphere as they have been trained and gained experience in this kind of operation.

He said the operation is the pride of every Thai navy personnel as it makes local people acknowledge the role of the Royal Thai Navy. The world community also welcome the operation as Thailand is not a ‘big’ country but it shows world class responsibility by helping to tackle the widely-affected problem.

The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia. It connects with the Red Sea and it is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route with some 21,000 ships passing through annually.

Increasing piracy and armed robbery in the area has caused economic problems to many countries, especially those whose economies depend on maritime commerce.

Thai-flagged ships have been seized by Somali pirates on several occasions. (MCOT online news)