Op-Ed: Somali Pirates Are Back, But a Full-Scale Return is Unlikely

The hijacked Iranian fishing vessel Al Meraj 1 (EUNAVFOR)

PUBLISHED DEC 17, 2023 8:03 PM BY PETER VIGGO JAKOBSEN AND TROELS BURCHALL HENNINGSEN

 

 

An Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded US$400,000 in ransom and threatened to use the Iranian ship for additional hijackings if the payment was not made.

Two days later, other Somali pirates hijacked a tanker, Central Park, off the Yemeni coast. The tanker sent a distress signal during the attack. Forces from a nearby American warship captured the pirates as they tried to flee in a small boat.

The two attacks have led the Somali government to call for greater international support to deter a resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africa. Similar fears that Somali piracy was on the rebound surfaced after five previous attacks in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

We have been studying the rise and fall of Somali piracy, and have tracked the problem for years. We do not regard a major rise in Somali piracy as likely.

Following previous threats, local authorities, experts and organizations tracking piracy globally warned that Somali pirates retained the capacity to launch attacks. This is also the current assessment of the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre, which acts to suppress piracy and armed robbery at sea.

The concern is not surprising.

Somali piracy was a major threat to the region and the world economy at its height in 2011. That year alone, Somali pirates carried out 212 attacks. The World Bank estimated that these cost the world economy US$18 billion.

Read more: Somali piracy, once an unsolvable security threat, has almost completely stopped. Here's why

In a recent analysis, we concluded that a range of anti-piracy measures had put a stop to Somali piracy. The measures fall into four main categories:

1. anti-piracy naval operations by the world’s most capable navies
2. costly self-protection measures, including the use of armed guards, by most flag states and shipping owners
3. a legal toolbox enabling pirate prosecution and imprisonment
4. capacity-building and the ability to imprison pirates regionally and in Somalia.

Anti-piracy measures

These measures remain largely in place.

Measure 1: The size of anti-piracy naval operations may have shrunk but some international forces remain active. Nato – an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 European and two North American member states – terminated its anti-piracy mission in 2016. However, the European Union retains its mission, as does a US-led coalition. Together they seek to suppress piracy outside the territorial waters of Somalia and other coastal states in the region. In addition, independent deployers like China have warships on patrol.

Measure 2: Most commercial ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden, the Somali basin and the Indian Ocean follow many of the self-protection measures recommended by flag states and the main maritime industry organisations. While the number of ships carrying armed guards has dropped considerably, most commercial ships report to the maritime security centres, follow the recommended transit corridor protected by international naval forces and join group transits.

Measure 3: The legal toolbox and the post-trial transfer system making it possible to prosecute pirates and imprison them in Somalia remains in place. This makes jail the most likely destination for the five pirates recently apprehended by US forces following their hijacking of Central Park. Successful prosecution and imprisonment would signal to other pirates that piracy remains an unprofitable undertaking off the Somali coast.

Measure 4: International efforts continue to increase the capacity of Somalia and other regional states to patrol their national waters. The EU’s capacity building mission in Somalia, for instance, still supports Somalia’s maritime security sector. It seeks to strengthen the sector’s capacity to deter, capture and prosecute pirates. The successful operations undertaken by the Puntland Maritime Police Force – including securing the release of hostages – indicate that these efforts are paying off.

These anti-piracy measures continue to be implemented by a broad coalition of state and private actors. They include states from outside the region, regional nations, Somali authorities and the international shipping industry. As long as these actors continue to invest in maintaining these measures, Somali piracy will remain unprofitable.

High risks, few rewards

It remains to be seen if the ransom demand for the Iranian fishing vessel Almeraj 1 will succeed. However, pirates don’t appear to have made any money from any of the other five attacks launched in the 2017-2023 period. We haven’t been able to ascertain if any ransom was paid to secure the release of a Panama-flagged ship captured in August 2020. In the other four instances, the attacks either failed or didn’t result in ransom payments.

Even if the US$400,000 ransom demand succeeds, it doesn’t alter the overall conclusion that piracy off the Somali coast remains a high-risk undertaking with a low probability of success. This suggests that a major increase in Somali piracy is highly unlikely.

If it did happen, though, it would be easy for international naval forces and the shipping industry to reduce the prospects of success by stepping up naval patrols and reintroducing armed guards.

Peter Viggo Jakobsen and Troels Burchall Henningsen are both associate professors at the Royal Danish Defence College.

 

One Crewmember Medically Evacuated from Hijacked Bulker off Somalia

Bulker Ruen remains anchored off Somalia being monitored by security forces (Navibulgar file photo)

PUBLISHED DEC 19, 2023 1:58 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

One of the 18 crewmembers aboard the Bulgarian-owned bulk carrier Ruen seized by pirates last week was released for medical reasons officials reported today. However, the situation aboard the vessel remains unclear with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) reporting the demands of the hijackers remain unknown, and local authorities in Somalia are planning to storm the ship.

EUNAVFOR confirmed that the Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria had been permitted to track the vessel into Somali waters arriving off the breakaway province of Puntland on Sunday. The Victoria moved away temporarily today for logistic reasons but EUNAVFOR says the vessel remains in a position between Eyl and Xaanfun on the Horn of Africa.

The hijackers are reported to have released one individual late on Monday who was requiring medical attention. The crewmember was taken aboard the Indian Navy vessel INS Kochi and given initial medical treatment. The Spanish also offered to assist, but it was determined that the crewmember needed to be transferred to a hospital and the Indian vessel is currently transporting him.

EUNAVFOR and the Spanish Navy provided additional details about the situation reporting that the Indian Navy’s spotter plan had been able to make contact with the crew on Friday via radio while it was overflying the vessel. At the time the crew was still secure in the citadel approximately a day after the vessel had been boarded. Later, however, the boarders were able to break into the citadel and take the crew hostage. It is unclear when the one crewmember was injured.

A Japanese Navy ship was also in the area and responded to the emergency call issued on December 14 after the vessel was boarded. EUNAVFOR reports the Japanese INS Akebono had remained in the area until it was relieved by the Victoria. 

Since reaching Somalia, the bulker has remained near Puntland which is a breakaway area but in an unusual development, local media is reporting that the Puntland government announced that it is planning a military operation to rescue the vessel and to act as a deterrent to other potential pirates. They are also expressing concern about potential links between the Somali pirates and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“We are fully prepared to deploy the Puntland Marine Police Force and take decisive action against the pirates,” a government spokesman told the local media.

The concern is that a breakaway group is attempting to resume the attacks nearly six years after Somali pirates' last successful seizure of a merchant ship. Last month, Somali pirates were reported to have seized a small, commercial fishing boat, but EUNAVFOR said that group was handed over to the Somali authorities. The United States also said after interrogating the boarders of the tanker Central Park that preliminary indications were that the group was also Somali pirates. A U.S. Navy ship chased and captured the group when they attempted to flee from the tanker.

EUNAVFOR reports that the bulker, which is registered in Malta, is being continuously monitored. Efforts are being coordinated among the partners participating in EUNAVFOR and also with the local Somali authorities.

Hijacked Bulker Winds Up off Somalia's Northern Coast

Ruen off Somalia (EUNAVFOR)

PUBLISHED DEC 17, 2023 3:27 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The Bulgarian bulker that was hijacked in the Arabian Sea last Thursday is now located off Somalia, according to antipiracy task force EUNAVFOR. 

The Indian Navy reported on Saturday that it had located the vessel, and dispatched a search plane and a warship to intercept the ship, the geared bulker Ruen. 

The EU Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Victoria, also transited quickly to meet up with the bulker, EUNAVFOR said Sunday. The Victoria's current mission on scene is to "gain more awareness and evaluate following actions."  

If the hijackers had intended to hide the ship, they did not try hard. As of Sunday, Ruen was still broadcasting her position on AIS. The signal put the ship's location about eight nautical miles off the coast of Abo, a coastal village in the Somali province of Puntland. 

According to the shipowner, the hijacking occurred in the middle of the Arabian Sea, hundreds of miles from any shore. AIS data confirms the location: when she was about 380 nautical miles due east of Socotra, Ruen came to a stop, then changed course and made straight for the Somali coast. 

The long-distance high seas attack is reminiscent of the methods seen in the worst years of Somali piracy. At the peak of the kidnapping epidemic in the early 2010s, pirates with "mother ship" fishing vessels would roam far from Somali waters, some reaching almost to India.  

The operator told Bulgarian media that it lost contact with the ship last Thursday. The last signal from the security officer was that the crew was not in control of the vessel, but the 18-member crew was safe. Six unknown individuals were reported to be aboard the ship.

Alexander Kalchev, director of the company, confirmed that there is a "security incident," underway on the vessel. Speaking on Bulgarian TV, he said “We expect the kidnappers to contact us. The area where the ship was last detected is not a pirate area.”

The Indian Navy released pictures after its plane and warship began tracking the missing bulker (Indian Navy)

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that it has assembled a specialized team to handle the situation. Malta, the ship’s flag state, reports it is also monitoring developments.

The reports are saying it is unclear since there has been no contact if the incident is related to current problems in Yemen or possibly a resurgence of Somali piracy. Reuters however reported it had contact with the rebels in the Puntland region of Somalia who are saying they have managed to seize a vessel. 

It would be the first capture of a large commercial vessel by Somali pirates since 2017. An international security effort was successful in reducing the threat over the past few years.

However, there was a recent report from Somalia that a small commercial fishing vessel had been seized and was being held for ransom. Those reports said the pirates were threatening to use the ship as a mother vessel for more attacks, but EUNAVFOR later said the pirates had been handed over to the Somali authorities and that the threat was over.

The United States has also blamed the recent boarding of the tanker Central Park on Somali pirates. A team from the U.S. Navy captured five individuals who boarded the ship and said that after meeting with them the indications were that they were from Somalia.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization also issued a security warning on Friday alerting ships of potential piracy activity off the Somali coast. They have posted the warning to run through December 17.

Bulgarian-Owned Bulker Boarded South of Yemen in Arabian Sea

The identity of the vessel being boarded has not yet ben confirmed. (file photo)

PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2023 12:02 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Bulgaria’s largest shipping company, Navigation Maritime Bulgare (NAVIBULGAR) issued a written statement late today confirming the earlier reports of an ongoing incident aboard one of its vessels sailing in the Arabian Sea. Details on the situation remain sketchy and the whereabouts of the vessel are unknown as well as if it has been intercepted by any of the naval forces in the region.

The company writes that its vessel the Ruen (42,300 dwt) registered in Malta is “the subject of a security incident 380 nautical miles east of the island of Socotra, Yemen." They reported they are coordinating with the international authorities after losing contact with the vessel and that their priority is the safety of the 18 crewmembers onboard. Media reports from Bulgaria indicate that the crew are Bulgarian and Myanmar citizens. 

Earlier today, United Kingdom Trade Organization (UKMTO) reported that it was investigating an incident in the Arabian Sea south of Yemen and east of Somalia. In a later update, they revised the alert to say a boarding was underway reporting an overheard VHF transmission indicating that the vessel had been boarded approximately 700 nautical miles east of Bossaso, Somalia.

Built at Hongqiang Shipyard and delivered in 2016, the AIS track for the 607-foot (185-meter) vessel shows that it had departed South Korea and made a stop in Singapore on December 4. She is reporting a destination of Gemlik, Turkey.

UK security consultants Ambrey issued an alert reporting that a vessel had been detected moving erratically in the area. Earlier they advised that an Iranian-owned fishing vessel had been detected going dark, turning off its AIS transmission, in the Arabian Sea.

Nearly two weeks ago there were reports that a fishing vessel had been hijacked off the coast of Somalia with the pirates demanding a ransom. Local media reports said the pirates were threatening to use the vessel as a mother ship for subsequent attacks, but EUNAVFOR later reported having tracked that vessel and handing it over to the authorities in Somalia. The last report was that Somalia arrested the pirates.

U.S. officials blamed Somali pirates, not Yemen for the November 27 attack and boarding of the tanker Central Park. Confronted by the task force, the five armed intruders debarked the Central Park and attempted to flee in a small boat. A team from the USS Mason gave chase and fired warning shots at the intruders as they attempted to flee. They did not return the fire and eventually surrendered to the U.S. team.
 

 

Taiwan Rescues Crew and Works to Contain Oil Leak from Grounded Cargo Ship

Taiwan works to contain an oil spill from a grounded cargo ship (photo courtesy of Ocean Affairs Council)

PUBLISHED DEC 18, 2023 7:21 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Taiwan rescued nine crewmembers from a small general cargo ship that was driven up on shore after losing power during a strong storm. While the crewmembers from Myanmar are safely on shore, the Taiwan Coast Guard and Ocean Conservation Administration are now working to contain a spreading oil spill.

The 31-year-old vessel, which is reported to be owned by a company in Cambodia, has a spotty record showing no less than eight safety violations in its last port state inspection conducted in 2019. At the time, the vessel named Wan Xing was owned by a Chinese company, but it appears to have passed to new ownership this year and was reflagged in Cameroon.

Now named Hai Shou, the vessel which is just 197 feet (60 meters) in length and 651 dwt, departed the Taiwanese port of Taichung on Saturday, but shortly after leaving reported it had lost power. The vessel had been heading to the port of Kaohsiung or possibly planning to continue to Busan, South Korea. There is no cargo aboard.

The Coast Guard attempted to help the vessel to anchor but reported due to strong winds and high seas the vessel was continuing to drift. On Sunday, as it was coming close to the coast, the captain ordered the crew to abandon ship. Taiwan’s National Airborne Service Corps. assisted. They hoisted the six crewmembers from the deck into a helicopter and brought them to shore. 

The vessel continued to drift finally being driven ashore on Jibei Island, a small offshore island on Taiwan’s west coast. The vessel was reported to be approximately four-tenths of a nautical mile offshore and leaking 20 tons of diesel fuel. Attempts to put an oil containment boom around the vessel were unsuccessful because of the rough seas and high winds.

The Ocean Conservation Administration is working to contain the spill which has already covered 300 meters of the shoreline. They are placing booms and using absorbing rags to clean up the oil from the coastal reef.

Two Drifting Survivors Rescued After Cargo Ship Sinks Off Vietnam

Courtesy Vietnam Border Guard

PUBLISHED DEC 18, 2023 9:54 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The crew of a cargo ship that went down off the coast of Vietnam last weekend had an extraordinary turn of good fortune. All were safely rescued, including two who went missing and spent hours drifting at sea. 

On Sunday morning, the border guard agency of Thua Thien Hue province received word that the crew of the cargo ship Gia Bao 19 needed help. The ship had sustained flooding in a hold through a broken pipe, and it foundered and went at 0445 hours. 

All nine crewmembers abandoned ship into a life raft, but two were swept away by high waves. A good samaritan vessel, the Haian Park, rescued the seven survivors in the raft at 1500 hours. They were handed over to the border guard for evaluation and medical care; two had minor injuries and were cared for by the agency's medical team. 

The other two crewmembers were initially thought to be lost at sea, and a search was launched. A good samaritan fishing vessel found them and rescued him later that day, and returned them safely to the port of Da Nang. 

Gia Bao 19 was a 1,900 dwt general cargo ship flagged in Vietnam.

 

 

Jorg Haider to Geert Wilders: Far-right Normalised in Europe

Subhash Gatade | 16 Dec 2023

NEWSCLICK.IN

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But the malaise stretches far beyond one part of a continent.

Jorg Haider. Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Jorg Haider, a far-right Austrian politician who died in 2008, is largely forgotten. It is also forgotten that merely two decades ago, he was considered a very dangerous man in Europe, whose ascent to power had prompted rare European Union unity aimed to thwart his ambitions.

Twice elected as governor of the southern state of Carinthia, Haider—who opposed immigration and was critical of Islam and Muslims—once praised the Nazi regime’s “employment policies”. 

His Freedom Party of Austria allied with another party, the OVP, which allowed Haider to become the country’s chancellor. But the possibility of a ‘right-wing extremist’ ruling a European Union member country prompted the other 14 members to join hands punitively against Australia, putting Haider out of the chancellorship race.

The European Union stuck by the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam principles and emphasised that nobody would be allowed to “breach them”. 

Many European countries threatened to recall envoys from Austria, and some said that Austria could be shunted out of the union if the need arose. The Belgian foreign minister at the time said, “Europe can very well do without Austria. We don’t need it.

After much water has flown down the Thames, the Rheins, the Danubes and all other rivers of Europe, the world has Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, a “political earthquake”, whom some consider more extreme and fanatical than Haider. But Wilders’ views on immigration and Islam cause no similar outrage in European capitals today.

Wilders’s party, which promised to ban mosques and compared the Quran with the infamous Mein Kampf, has won 37 seats in a 150-member Parliament. It is now the number one party in the country’s parliament. 

In his book, Marked for Death: Islam’s War against the West and Me, Wilders puts in black and white his extreme views, refusing to accept Islam as a ‘religion’ and calling it a totalitarian ideology instead. He writes that Islam aims to “conquer the West” and that a “free society should not grant freedom to those who want to destroy it. Every halal shop, every mosque, every Islamic school, and every burka is regarded by Islam as a step toward the ultimate goal of our submission… we must close down all Islamic schools, for they are totalitarian institutions where young children are indoctrinated into an ideology of violence and hatred. We must also close down all radical mosques and forbid the construction of new mosques, which Islam regards as symbols of its triumph. And we must ban the burka—people’s faces should not be hidden in society, for it is our faces that give us our identity and our fundamental means of communication with others,” he writes.

During the election campaign, he promised to focus on curbing immigration if elected and sugarcoated his anti-Islam rhetoric with concerns about the cost of living crisis. The ‘humanisation’ of an Islamophobe accompanied his meteoric ascent. A leading channel in the Netherlands tried to present Wilders’ softer side before the elections—apparently, he loves cats! Better call him Milders, not Wilders, a media outlet quipped.

For the Netherlands, a north-western European nation, the emergence of a hard right once seemed impossible. But as a headline published in The Nation notes, “The Sensible Dutch Take a Sharp Turn to the Right’.  

Not long ago, the largest bank in the Netherlands, ABN Amro NV, had resisted Haider’s ascendance and declared it would freeze its offer to help finance a controversial child support programme in his home province of Carinthia.

Wilders’ emergence as a key political actor signifies the long distance that once-liberal countries have travelled in Europe. The world confronts a changed Netherlands, better called ‘New Netherlands’, if we borrow a phrase from the largest democracy.

Indeed, if Haider’s possible ascent led to unity based on principles in the European Union, Wilders is Prince Charming to many.

No doubt, Haider’s trajectory to power was in a radically different ambience. In Haider’s time, the European Union resisted the shift towards a right-wing anti-immigrant agenda, but in less than a quarter century, even more extreme views are being normalised. The many congratulatory messages Wilders has received, including from other right-wing European governments, testify to the changed scenario. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Prime Minister, said on X (formerly Twitter), “The winds of change are here!” Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on X: “Congratulations to our friend @geertwilderspvv.”

A new Europe is emerging, ready to give space to ethnonationalism and exclusivist agendas. After failing thrice, Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right politician, is moving towards a goal for the presidency in 2027. Alternative For Deutschland (AfD) has received electoral success in Germany. In Slovakia, populist Fico has announced a coalition with the far-right to form the next government. 

Far-right parties are steadily climbing, shaping the mainstream to reflect their nativist and populist agendas and occupying ministerial roles in coalition governments.

Having travelled this far, perhaps Europe might like to obliterate how and why it once stalled Haider’s ascent. The Guardian tells us, “If everyone who voted in the election had been under 35, Geert Wilders, the far-right populist whose Party for Freedom (PVV) shocked Europe by winning the most parliamentary seats, would have won even more.”

The paper points out that Le Pen won 39% of votes from people aged 18-24 and 49% from those aged 25-34. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy was the largest party among under-35s, with 22%.

The white, male, non-graduate and older demographic of the radical-right voter is changing. Studies tell us that “in several countries, support for the far right is growing fastest among younger voters,” The Guardian pointed out.

But the youth has not suddenly become exclusivist. There is a growing housing and healthcare crisis, and life is increasingly precarious without regular jobs. Slogans that promise to ‘make the country great again’ are bound to appeal to younger voters.

An editorial in The Hindu newspaper warns that rising ethnonationalism is a wake-up call for the establishment parties in the West. “Establishment parties should have a clear economic agenda and political vision to arrest the rising tide of far-right politics, which echoes Europe’s dangerous and not-so-distant past,” notes the paper.

But a more discomforting question would be whether these parties have contributed to the emergence of the far right. For example, when the election results were announced in the Netherlands, the mainstream came under criticism.

Writing in The Wire, Aurelien Mondon, a senior lecturer at the University of Bath, notes, “We cannot pretend to stand against the far right while referring to its politics as ‘legitimate concerns’. We must stand unequivocally by and be in service of every one of the communities at the sharp end of oppression.”

This applies in South Asia, too, where parties have repeatedly demonstrated political naiveté by aligning with retrograde forces, such as under the name of “fighting corruption”. It has, ultimately, facilitated the ascent of the right to the echelons of power. 

The author is an independent journalist. The views are personal.

 

USCIRF Expresses Concern Over India's 'Targeting' of Journalists and Transnational 'Repression' of Minorities

Newsclick Report | 17 Dec 2023

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The US government entity has recommended each year since 2020 that the US Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern, most recently in its 2023 Annual Report.

Image for representational purpose. Credit: The Indian Express

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said on Friday in a statement that the federal government entity is “deeply concerned by India’s transnational repression against religious minorities” and suggested that the US Department of State designate India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’.

It highlighted the recent efforts by the Indian government to “silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad” and “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief” and said that it poses a serious threat to religious freedom.

“The Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad,” said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck.

“We call on the Biden administration to acknowledge the Indian government’s perpetration of particularly severe religious freedom violations and designate it as a country of particular concern (CPC),” he added.

USCIRF says that it is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyse and report on religious freedom abroad.

In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice had published an indictment alleging the Indian government’s “attempt to assassinate a Sikh activist” was intended to prompt “a series of additional killings” in the United States and Canada.

“Within its own borders, Indian authorities have repeatedly used draconian legislation like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and anti-conversion laws to systematically crack down on religious minorities, journalists, and activists,” said USCIRF Commissioner David Curry.

He added, “Extending this repression to target religious minorities from India living abroad, including intimidation tactics against journalists, is especially dangerous and cannot be ignored. We urge the U.S. government to continue its active engagement with senior Indian officials and international partners to ensure religious minorities can live and express themselves without fear of reprisal, whether in India or elsewhere.”

The USCIRF statement added, “In addition, Indian authorities have used spyware and online harassment campaigns to target and intimidate journalists and activists abroad advocating on behalf of religious minorities. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the United States in June, comments from the head of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) information and technology department, Amit Malviya, prompted an online campaign against U.S. Wall Street Journal journalist Sabrina Siddiqui for posing a question about religious freedom conditions in India.”

The US government entity has recommended each year since 2020 that the US Department of State designate India as a CPC, most recently in its 2023 Annual Report. USCIRF also published an issue update on India’s state-level anti-conversion laws, providing further context on India’s use of these laws to target religious minorities. In September 2023, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in India and how the U.S. government can work with the Indian government to address violations.

INDIA

Day After Blast, Opposition Alleges Safety Lapses at Nagpur Factory; Exploitation of Workers

PTI | 18 Dec 2023

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Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, they also said workers at the factory had been exploited for long and not paid minimum wages as per norms.

Police personnel disperse people gathered outside a manufacturing unit of Solar Industries after a blast occurred at the factory, at Bazargaon near Nagpur, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. Image Courtesy: PTI

Nagpur, Dec 18 (PTI) Opposition legislators in Maharashtra on Monday alleged lapses by Solar Industries India, where a blast claimed nine lives a day before, in ensuring the safety of workers and demanded action against Industrial Safety Department officials.

Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, they also said workers at the factory had been exploited for long and not paid minimum wages as per norms.

A Congress MLC said similar incidents had happened in the company in the past, while opposition leader Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena-UBT) said mandatory safety drills were not conducted.

Danve demanded a report from the Nagpur district collector to fix accountability and demanded action against officials concerned from the Industrial Safety Department.

Nine people were killed and three others seriously injured in a massive blast at the explosives manufacturing factory in Chakdoh in Nagpur district on Sunday.

Congress MLC Shashikant Shinde moved a point of information in the legislative council where he spoke about the safety record of the factory.

"This isn't the first time that an explosion occurred in the company. There were two such incidents in the past," Shinde said.

Referring to the Rs 20 lakh compensation announced by the company to the victims and Rs 5 lakh by the state government, Shinde wondered whether the government is placing a monetary value on the lives of innocent people.

"Around 4,000 workers are employed on a daily wage basis in the company on a meagre Rs 10,000 per month," he said and demanded permanent employment for them.

Danve, who visited the blast site, said the bodies of the deceased were dismembered.

"Mandatory safety drills had not been conducted at the company, and even officials from the industrial safety department were denied access to the premises," he said.

Danve said workers at the factory were forced into early morning shifts after working late the previous night.

Another Congress MLC, Bhai Jagtap, said while the minimum wage is Rs 12,000 in Maharashtra, the company was paying only Rs 10,500/month to the workers.

He demanded that the services of workers be regularised.

Council chairperson Neelam Gorhe said the matter would be discussed on Tuesday under section 97 of the rules.

A day before, Solar Industries India senior general manager Ashish Srivastava had said that the incident occurred in the building where boosters used in coal mines are produced. "It took place when sealing work of the product was going on".

Police have registered a case against unidentified persons in connection with the blast under the Indian Penal Code on the charges of causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with respect to the explosive substance, an official said on Monday.

 

Don’t Make Indian Construction Workers Partners in Genocide of Palestinians: CWFI

Newsclick Report | 19 Dec 2023

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The Construction Workers Federation will stage protests on Dec 22-23 against the Haryana government’s recruitment drive for Israel.

Protest by CWFI, Image courtesy: CITU

New Delhi: The Haryana government’s advertisement, asking youth to apply for jobs of construction workers and bouncers to countries like Israel, has invited the wrath of the Construction Workers Federation of India (CWFI), which has called upon all its members and all the construction workers of India to protest on December 22-23 against the move.

In a press statement issued by U P Joseph, general secretary, CWFI, said they strongly condemn the Haryana state government’s move to send ten thousand skilled workers, out of which a large section will be the construction workers, to Israel. 

“The BJP led Haryana Government’s ‘Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam’ (HKRN) put out an advertisement on 15th December, 2023 for recruiting 10,000 skilled workers for Israel, where there is a shortage of manpower in the construction sector since the start of the genocidal war on Palestine launched by Israel.” 

The CWFI pointed out that earlier reports had said that the Israeli authorities had ordered Palestinian workers working in different sectors in Israel with work permits to leave, as part of their attacks on Palestinians. 

“While the Israeli Builders Association has asked for 50,000 -10,000 Indian construction workers to replace Palestinian workers, it was reported that Israel and India are negotiating about sending 15,000 workers,” it said. 

The CWFI said it was a “sinister plot” by the Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRN), which outlined specific criteria for individuals interested in the recruitment drive for young workers, “to exploit our country’s poor construction workers” by offering lucrative salary at the expense of death, starvation and income losses of fellow Palestinian workers.” 

In addition, HKRN has also advertised for recruitment of a large number of bouncers to guard night clubs in Israel. “This is a serious concern, as these Indian bouncers may be used in ongoing war,’ the CWFI warned. 

The federation also highlighted news reports that the BJP-led Uttarakhand government was also considering sending construction workers to Israel. 

The CWFI statement reiterated the Indian government’s support for the UN resolution calling for immediate ceasefire, declaration of a Palestinian state with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. It demanded that the government should use its diplomatic relations with Israel to abide by the UN resolution instead of negotiating for sending construction workers to that country.