No piracy on Bangladesh's waterways: Seminar

The crimes occurring on the country's waterways should not be called piracy as those are just petty crimes, said Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshed Alam yesterday.
“No incidents of piracy occur in Bangladesh. There have been some incidents of robbery, which some newspapers reported as piracy,” he said at a seminar styled “Maritime Piracy and Human Response” organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in its auditorium in the capital.
Such careless reporting and wrong interpretation of crimes on waterways have tarnished the image of Bangladesh before the world, said Khurshed Alam, head of foreign ministry's maritime affairs unit..
He further said the robberies on waterways has decreased significantly over the past few years due to the government's efforts, adding that 2012 saw the lowest number of incidents in the last five years.
Regarding the release of seven Bangladeshis who were captured by Somali pirates in 2010, Khurshed said the government is trying to take necessary steps.
The MV ALBED, owned by Malaysia-based Enrich Shipping, was attacked by pirates on November 26, 2010 while en route from Mombasa to Jebel Ali, 293 miles west of the Maldives on the Indian Ocean.
Of the captured crew, seven Bangladeshis, six Sri Lankans, one Indian and Iranian are still in captivity, said Somalia Report.