Over the last fortnight or so, the media in Kerala - both print and visual - has been actively covering the goings on in connection with the killing of two malayalee fishermen, off the coast of Kochi, by armed marines of an Italian vessel.
The story goes something like this. An Italian merchantman, Enrica Lexie, was passing through our seas, about 23 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala when it observed a fishing vessel in its vicinity. Since the vessel was passing through the Gulf of Aden, where there have been very many cases of midsea piracy in the past few years, she had a posse of armed marine guards on board to thwart possible attacks from pirates. Mistaking the unsuspecting mallu fishermen in their bright lungis and colourful vests to be pirates, the Italian marines emptied their weapons killing two of them instantly.
Thanks to some quick and deft moves of the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, the Customs and the Kerala police, the vessel has been brought alongside the Ernakulam Tanker wharf for investigation and legal proceedings at the court of the Judicial First Class Magistrate. Representatives of the Italian government and its consulate, in our country, have also come in to assist in the legal proceedings closely monitored by the Kerala High Court.
The question that would nag any seasoned mariner would be as to whether the ship had used force commensurate to that of its supposed adversary. Or was it an over reaction? And going even further, was it a case of pure trigger happy gunmen having a go?
It'd be interesting to note as to how the 'rhapsody' will play out eventually!
The story goes something like this. An Italian merchantman, Enrica Lexie, was passing through our seas, about 23 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala when it observed a fishing vessel in its vicinity. Since the vessel was passing through the Gulf of Aden, where there have been very many cases of midsea piracy in the past few years, she had a posse of armed marine guards on board to thwart possible attacks from pirates. Mistaking the unsuspecting mallu fishermen in their bright lungis and colourful vests to be pirates, the Italian marines emptied their weapons killing two of them instantly.
Thanks to some quick and deft moves of the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, the Customs and the Kerala police, the vessel has been brought alongside the Ernakulam Tanker wharf for investigation and legal proceedings at the court of the Judicial First Class Magistrate. Representatives of the Italian government and its consulate, in our country, have also come in to assist in the legal proceedings closely monitored by the Kerala High Court.
The question that would nag any seasoned mariner would be as to whether the ship had used force commensurate to that of its supposed adversary. Or was it an over reaction? And going even further, was it a case of pure trigger happy gunmen having a go?
It'd be interesting to note as to how the 'rhapsody' will play out eventually!
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