Taiwanese Captain of Hijacked Vessel Killed in crossfire

There is something seriously wrong with this story. This vessel was hijacked over a year ago. What was the captain doing on board? Did he switch sides? If he was assisting the pirates, then he got what he deserved.

Whoa Cap ... slow down a bit.

The poor guy was held captive for more than a year as his family tried to negotiate a ransom. They evidently came to an agreement in April whereby he would be released a month after the ransom was paid.

If we had not been treating pirates like naughty schoolchildren a year ago Wu Lai-yu might be alive today. He didn't deserve this but he deserves better than being blamed for his situation.

To be held captive that long and end up dying is plain horrible. The whole time thinking that you will be freed; what a sad ending. Many times we see pirates on movies but it is no way good when these things happen in reality these days. It makes us all feel insecure when being out in the ocean.

Stockholm Syndrome and all that. I understand, but it is one thing to form an attachment or empathy for you captors, and entirely another to actively take part in and facilitate their crimes. This debate goes back to Patty Herst and the SLA. Yes, I feel bad that he was pirated and held captive. But, an entire year after being hijacked, he was captaining a pirate vessel. There is a line, and he crossed it. He was acting as a pirate; a criminal doing criminal acts. My sympathies go out to his family. He didn't seek this, and was probably an honorable man originally, but we also have to ask ourselves how many others were hijacked, kidnapped and maybe killed because he was captaining for the pirates.

Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were onboard that vessel during his captivity and had an opportunity to sit and talk to him about his experience.

Forgive me for assuming you weren't there.

What in the world are you talking about. I'm not questioning his state of mind. I'm questioning his actions. You may remember that Patty Hearst was convicted of bank robbery, but she was treated with compassion because of how she got into the situation (yes, and because of who her family is). How would you feel if your loved one was held hostage or killed because of this captain's actions. He was captain of a pirate vessel. In the military it's called being a traitor. It doesn't matter if it's because of Stockholm Syndrome, childhood trauma or greed. His actions were criminal. He became a pirate.

Hi,

Ed, You should keep taking the pills .and calm down with your rhetoric a bit.

No one here knows the facts so any armchair observation and or supposition is purely that.

To brand the guy as a pirate is not fair to him or his family till the truth comes out and confirms that was actually the case.

Wow, I didn't know that you were a Psychiatrist. Your prognoses of the Captain having Stockholm Syndrome just by reading a news paper article.
Nobody knows the facts. If you were in his situation where you are told by your captures drive the boat or die. WHAT WILL YOU DO??? For all we know he had a gun to his head.

Just giving credit for possible mitigating factors. Not psychoanalyzing him. They are possible reasons however, not excuses. If he were hijacked and his captives continued pirating while he was captive aboard as prisoner till they went back to base that would be one thing. This was over a year later. That is the one over-riding factor in my book. Whatever reasons he might have had, he turned against his fellow seaman. Rather than potentially suffer hardship or even forfeit his own life he was willing to put their lives at risk. Today is Memorial Day in the U.S.; a day to honor the heroes. Try to envision the captain of the Maersk Alabama doing this. I don't think so. Had this captain been captured I would expect him to stand trial as a pirate, yet receive much lesser punishment (if any) due to the circumstances, but instead he received to justice most of us call on for the pirates. He was killed during the commission of a crime that he was a participant in.
Let me make one final remark. I really hope that there was a typo in this story. If it were this past March instead of 2010, my view would be entirely different. It's that year.

Hi,

Ed, If I can get you a ride on a trawler operating out of Dar es Salaam or the Seychelles do you want to go?

If you then get pirated you can recount it first hand if you don't get knocked off in the meantime.

Where do you get the information that the captain was a willing participant? He may not have been back on the boat until the ransom was paid.

You saw the word "willing" someplace? Or are you intentionally misquoting? I take it that those who have taken umbrance to this would turn traitor given the excuse and think it ok. If you were taken prisoner during war, you think it would be acceptable to aid in attacking your own troops? Do you think the circumstances of your life justify becoming a pirate? What excuses are acceptable; taken hostage, poor, abused, hungry? Guess maybe we should just forgive them all because I doubt many of the pirates grew up in McMansions with silver spoons in their mouths. While we're at it maybe we should release the serial killers and child mollesters. Most of that can be traced to childhood abuse. That's a legitimate excuse, right? Maybe all the captains and crew that are being held hostage should offer to run the boats for the pirates. Good idea?

Hi,

Ed, Normally you are defensive of the underdog WTF happened today?

No one really knows if this gy and his crew were kept on-board as slaves, or separated and some kept aboard then threatened with death of their crew mates if they didn't do what they were told.

We just don't know and will hopefully not find out first hand.

Stop slagging this guy off till the facts come out will ya?

BTW - Let me know if ya want that berth on the trawler , they are having trouble finding crew so they are not fussy who they sign on.

something needs to be done about Somali pirates, I refuse to accept the excuse that it's too a large area to patrol.

as usual the UN is useless... a few hundred miles of somali coastline can be blockaded. any somali vessels which attempts to get into international waters should be boarded and inspected. If suspected of piracy, it should be sunk.

enough is enough.... enough with pirates killing innocents, enough with open borders and not protecting our citizens, enough putting 3" lizzards, owls and beetles before our own needs...

this whole world is going downhill...

Thanks for the offer, but business is just fine here. Maybe some need to re-read my original post. I'll try to emphasize the pertinent things that seem to have been missed so those with less than perfect eyesight might catch what was actually posted: " There is something seriously wrong with this story. This vessel was hijacked over a year ago. What was the captain doing on board? Did he switch sides? If he was assisting the pirates, then he got what he deserved."
BTW, I consider the "underdog" the vessel they would plan to attack. Maybe some here think that when the navy encounter pirates they should first ask why they chose that career path before taking action, and if it's a good reason, let them go.

Don't even have to do that. They know where the pirates go for R&R, repairs, and resupply. All they have to do is target the pirate compounds in the villages. I'm okay with some collateral damage too because all the villagers know where the pirate money comes from. They don't care as long as some of it ends up in the local economy.