Geezah
02-08-2005, 09:17 AM
Champion Australian yachtsman Christopher Packer apologised for not declaring a stash of firearms to Indonesian authorities when he entered the country's waters, saying he had made a big mistake.
But the millionaire Sydney to Hobart and Admirals Cup sailor told a Bali court that if he had not kept guns on his boat to ward off pirates he would probably be dead.
As his trial continued in Denpasar over firearms offences, Packer said he had been told not to report the six weapons on board his boat Lissa when he first arrived in Indonesian waters last year off Kupang, West Timor.
"I'm very sorry that I neglected to declare the weapons," he told the Denpasar District Court.
"It was a very big mistake. All I can say is I'm sorry."
Prosecutors say Packer deliberately failed to declare the weapons and argue the guns and around 2,000 rounds of ammunition were hidden in the hold of the converted freighter.
The three judges, prosecutors and police accompanied Packer to inspect the Lissa at its mooring in Bali's Benoa harbour, where he was detained following a tip off to water police last November.
Dressed in a white shirt and beige trousers, Packer looked concerned as he was asked to sign an authority for police to keep him locked up for another 60 days until April 11.
He told the court the guns had been on the vessel to protect against pirate attacks and told of experiencing several previous raids at sea by bandits since he first became a boat captain at the age of 28.
"I've often been disturbed by pirates, other vessels in the South China Sea and in the Malacca Strait I've been disturbed several times," he said.
When his defence lawyers asked why he had not simply relied on maritime police for protection, he quipped: "Have you got their number?"
"In the sea there is only one person to help you and that is yourself," he said.
Packer, 52, said Indonesia was a notorious "black area" for pirate attacks.
He said he had previously had several expensive items of equipment stolen by raiders, including outboard boat engines, including off the coast of Peru.
Two pump action shotguns on the Lissa had been for clay pigeon sport shooting as well as self-defence, Packer said.
The guns, two pistols and a semi-automatic Ruger rifle were usually kept locked in a container, or were placed at strategic points around the boat when it was moving through dangerous waters.
Packer said he had been told not to declare the weapons when he first arrived in Kupang, because a local customs officer said they could be stolen by corrupt authorities.
"Because you can still keep your firearms. They don't take them away from you," Packer claimed the man told him.
Link (http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Aussie-yachtsman-sorry-for-gun-caches/2005/02/07/1107625132742.html?oneclick=true)
Here's a bit of info on modern day pirates,
High seas piracy hits record level
Piracy at sea reached record levels in the first quarter of 2003, with more than 100 incidents reported for the first time in a decade.
There were 103 pirate attacks in the first quarter of the year, up from 87 in the same period last year.
The International Maritime Bureau, which compiles the statistics, warned that Indonesia was by far the greatest piracy risk. The country had more incidents than the next three countries combined.
But the IMB praised India and China for handing down long prison sentences to pirates.
India in February sentenced 14 Indonesian pirates to seven years in prison with hard labour, while China the same month sentenced a group of Indonesian pirates to terms of up to 15 years.
"Both the Indian and Chinese authorities should be congratulated for having taken these difficult cases through to prosecution," the director of the IMB, Captain Pottengal Mukundan, said.
Indonesia danger
"In contrast, the Indonesian authorities recently sentenced the hijackers of Inabukwa [a ship seized in March 2001] to between two and four years imprisonment," he said.
Indonesia reported 28 incidents of piracy in the first quarter of the year. The next three worst-affected countries - Bangladesh, India and Nigeria - had nine each.
The IMB said Indonesia's Anambas Islands and Gelasa Straits were areas of special concern.
Captain Mukundan did credit Jakarta's move to introduce new patrols of dangerous areas, which did bring down the number of incidents.
The IMB also addressed the problem of terrorism, noting that countries such as Japan have reportedly increased security of oil shipments in connection with the war in Iraq.
Malaysia - where the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre is based - has taken similar action.
A French oil tanker was attacked by a boat filled with explosives in the Yemeni port of Aden in October of last year.
One crew member was killed and 90,000 barrels of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Aden.
Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2994013.stm)
Pirate warning for Somalia's coastline (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2709339.stm)
Somali pirates hold Greek tanker (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2188900.stm)
Shipping firms call up pirate busters (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2175819.stm)
Sea piracy attacks on the rise (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2148444.stm)
Piracy terror attack warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1799654.stm)
But the millionaire Sydney to Hobart and Admirals Cup sailor told a Bali court that if he had not kept guns on his boat to ward off pirates he would probably be dead.
As his trial continued in Denpasar over firearms offences, Packer said he had been told not to report the six weapons on board his boat Lissa when he first arrived in Indonesian waters last year off Kupang, West Timor.
"I'm very sorry that I neglected to declare the weapons," he told the Denpasar District Court.
"It was a very big mistake. All I can say is I'm sorry."
Prosecutors say Packer deliberately failed to declare the weapons and argue the guns and around 2,000 rounds of ammunition were hidden in the hold of the converted freighter.
The three judges, prosecutors and police accompanied Packer to inspect the Lissa at its mooring in Bali's Benoa harbour, where he was detained following a tip off to water police last November.
Dressed in a white shirt and beige trousers, Packer looked concerned as he was asked to sign an authority for police to keep him locked up for another 60 days until April 11.
He told the court the guns had been on the vessel to protect against pirate attacks and told of experiencing several previous raids at sea by bandits since he first became a boat captain at the age of 28.
"I've often been disturbed by pirates, other vessels in the South China Sea and in the Malacca Strait I've been disturbed several times," he said.
When his defence lawyers asked why he had not simply relied on maritime police for protection, he quipped: "Have you got their number?"
"In the sea there is only one person to help you and that is yourself," he said.
Packer, 52, said Indonesia was a notorious "black area" for pirate attacks.
He said he had previously had several expensive items of equipment stolen by raiders, including outboard boat engines, including off the coast of Peru.
Two pump action shotguns on the Lissa had been for clay pigeon sport shooting as well as self-defence, Packer said.
The guns, two pistols and a semi-automatic Ruger rifle were usually kept locked in a container, or were placed at strategic points around the boat when it was moving through dangerous waters.
Packer said he had been told not to declare the weapons when he first arrived in Kupang, because a local customs officer said they could be stolen by corrupt authorities.
"Because you can still keep your firearms. They don't take them away from you," Packer claimed the man told him.
Link (http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Aussie-yachtsman-sorry-for-gun-caches/2005/02/07/1107625132742.html?oneclick=true)
Here's a bit of info on modern day pirates,
High seas piracy hits record level
Piracy at sea reached record levels in the first quarter of 2003, with more than 100 incidents reported for the first time in a decade.
There were 103 pirate attacks in the first quarter of the year, up from 87 in the same period last year.
The International Maritime Bureau, which compiles the statistics, warned that Indonesia was by far the greatest piracy risk. The country had more incidents than the next three countries combined.
But the IMB praised India and China for handing down long prison sentences to pirates.
India in February sentenced 14 Indonesian pirates to seven years in prison with hard labour, while China the same month sentenced a group of Indonesian pirates to terms of up to 15 years.
"Both the Indian and Chinese authorities should be congratulated for having taken these difficult cases through to prosecution," the director of the IMB, Captain Pottengal Mukundan, said.
Indonesia danger
"In contrast, the Indonesian authorities recently sentenced the hijackers of Inabukwa [a ship seized in March 2001] to between two and four years imprisonment," he said.
Indonesia reported 28 incidents of piracy in the first quarter of the year. The next three worst-affected countries - Bangladesh, India and Nigeria - had nine each.
The IMB said Indonesia's Anambas Islands and Gelasa Straits were areas of special concern.
Captain Mukundan did credit Jakarta's move to introduce new patrols of dangerous areas, which did bring down the number of incidents.
The IMB also addressed the problem of terrorism, noting that countries such as Japan have reportedly increased security of oil shipments in connection with the war in Iraq.
Malaysia - where the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre is based - has taken similar action.
A French oil tanker was attacked by a boat filled with explosives in the Yemeni port of Aden in October of last year.
One crew member was killed and 90,000 barrels of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Aden.
Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2994013.stm)
Pirate warning for Somalia's coastline (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2709339.stm)
Somali pirates hold Greek tanker (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2188900.stm)
Shipping firms call up pirate busters (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2175819.stm)
Sea piracy attacks on the rise (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2148444.stm)
Piracy terror attack warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1799654.stm)