(a) whether the Union Government is aware of the global problem of piracy and terrorism;
(b) if, so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the discussions have been held with the African countries including Somalia in this regard; and
(d) if so, the details and the outcome thereof?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SMT. PRENEET KAUR)
(a) & (b) According to the International Maritime Organization, the number of acts of piracy and armed
robbery against ships which occurred or were attempted globally rose to 489 in 2010, an increase of more
than 20 % from the figure for 2009 and 63 % from 2008. The areas most affected were East Africa and the
Far East, in particular the South China Sea, followed by the Indian Ocean, West Africa, South America and
the Caribbean. Since 2008, the Gulf of Aden, the western part of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea have
also seen a major spurt in attacks by pirates operating from Somalia, which has emerged as a serious problem
for merchant shipping.
(c) & (d) The issue of piracy was discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia during his visit
to India in April 2011. He pledged the full support of Somalia and the Transitional Federal Government
in extending assistance to India in counter-piracy efforts. India has also been providing assistance to
Somalia bilaterally for capacity building which would, inter alia, enable it to combat piracy more
effectively. In addition to discussions with Somalia and other African countries of the region in the
ambit of the CGPCS, the issue of piracy was also discussed during the Second India Africa Forum Summit
2011 held in Addis Ababa in May 2011. The Declaration adopted at the Summit, inter alia, stressed the
importance of addressing the threat posed by piracy off the Coast of Somalia and the suffering caused
by taking of hostages, and called on all States to cooperate in combating and eradicating the menace
of piracy.