Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:12:09 -0700 [10:12:09 AM CDT]
From: otieno sungu
Subject: Re: Stop Pirates?? Is Kibaki joking????
Who? Kibaki urging countries to protect what? He should have been told by those 22 Commanders to start by protecting his own people.
Commanders know better. Did you see the Americans send a warship to come and rescue one, I repeat, one Sea Captain?
Ati addressing commanders, those fellows must have been very polite to listen to him, a man who cannot even protect a small rocky Island “advicing”. What advice can he give on matters of securing territory?He should be busy addressing the annexation of his own country.
Sungu
Juba
— On Tue, 4/21/09, Reuben Kamau wrote:
From: Reuben Kamau
Subject: Re: Stop Pirates?? Is Kibaki joking????
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 8:24 AM
Hi Sungu.
It is good to be tickled by the jokes of the old man.
But kindly read details of what you are forwarding before commenting on the negative sometimes. The old guy was not speaking/telling Kenyan soldiers to stop the pirates – he was addressing ‘army commanders from 22 countries’ urging them to come up with solutions to eradicate piracy. Note – 22 countries – not Kenya.
RN
——————-
From: otieno sungu
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 2:21:17 PM
Subject: Stop Pirates?? Is Kibaki joking????
This Kibaki fellow must be the biggest joker this side of the Sahara or the old man just has a warped sense of humuor!!! He makes me laugh all the same and for that I give him credit.How can he involve the Kenyan soldiers in fighting piracy which is giving even Americans a headache when the Kenyan soldiers cannot even secure an Island 15Km away from the shoreline of Lake Victoria? Does the old man have an idea what the size of Indian Ocean is???The Generals he met must have been dying to laugh but knew better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop pirates, kibaki tells military officers
By Jibril Adan
President Kibaki has asked army commanders from 22 countries to come up with solutions to eradicate piracy.
Speaking when he opened a military symposium, Land Forces Challenges in a Full Spectrum Environment in Mombasa on Monday, Kibaki said piracy threatens sea transport, the basic lifeline for many countries in the region.
“Trade and critical imports are threatened by the rise in piracy,” Kibaki said at Serena Hotel, Mombasa.
Pirates have threatened the busy shipping lane along the Somalia. Many countries have deployed navies to the region, but the number of ships being hijacked has increased.
Officers at the meeting are at the level of Lieutenant General and are commanders of their respective armies. The conference brings together commanders from Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Rwanda and Tanzania. Others are Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Iraq, Afghanistan and UAE.
Major subject
Earlier, Kenya Army Commander Jackson Tuwei told reporters at a briefing that even though piracy was a real problem, it was not going to be a major subject at the symposium.
But even so, analysts say the solution to piracy lies on land and that before a functioning government is restored in Somalia, it would remain with us.
Commanding General US Army Central James Lovelace said”the solution to piracy has to be international and we will get there together”.
Even though the mandate and resources given to armies limit them to fight on land, the challenge by Kibaki is expected to force the officers to discuss how to support the Navy commanders to stamp out piracy.
As Kibaki opened the conference, the French Navy was expected to hand over eleven suspected Somali pirates to the Kenyan authorities. This will bring to 30 the number of suspects being held by Kenya.
Observers are worried that Kenya’s acceptance to try suspected pirates might put it in the firing line for possible revenge attacks.
Last week, Nato forces released eleven suspected pirates after they rescued a boat they had hijacked. They cited their dilemma over the law they would use to try the suspects. Kenya has, however, gone ahead to use the Penal Code to try some suspects.
Solutions to terrorism
Western nations involved in anti-piracy patrols are also wary of taking back suspected pirates because they could seek asylum after release.
And in a sign the policies of US President Barack Obama are taking root, the US general said solutions to problems affecting the world couldn’t be unilateral.
“The solution has to be multi-lateral,” said Lovelace.
He said the symposium, organised by the US army and hosted by the Kenya Army, would come up with solutions affecting regions represented by the participating countries.
President Kibaki who was accompanied by Defence Minister Yusuf Haji, Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga and US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, said it was imperative for the soldiers to come “up with ideas on how to combat piracy”.
Kibaki said Kenya had been a great contributor to regional and world peace.
He called on the participants to look into regional security in the light of conflict in parts of the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region.