INTRODUCTION

In March 2002 the Honduras-registered MT Han Wei was boarded in broad daylight by a gang of pirates armed with AK-47 rifles about one hundred miles off the Thai island of Phuket (Map 1.1 in Chapter 1). The vessel had been on its way from Singapore to Myanmar when the pirates approached the ship in a speedboat and two fishing vessels. Once on board, the assailants overpowered the crew and forced them to board one of the fishing boats. The seafarers were given sixty litres of fuel and enough food and water for a few days and were instructed to sail to Indonesia. After the disposal of the crew, the pirates sold the cargo of oil and transferred it to a second tanker, repainted parts of the vessel, and changed its name to Phae Tan. The perpetrators then navigated the tanker to the Thai province of Chonburi where it was discovered by the Thai navy, which had received information regarding the whereabouts of the vessel from the IMB. The Thai authorities boarded the vessel with the help of a helicopter, but found it deserted. One week later, however, the police arrested three of the alleged Thai pirates in their homes in Ranong. They claimed that they conducted the attack with a gang of seven Thai men and five Burmese soldiers, headed by a Thai leader. The arrestees also testified that the Thai pirate leader had been hired to carry out the attack by a Taiwanese mastermind, known to the pirates only as Ao.

Attacks such as the hijacking of the Han Wei require planning, maritime skills, and money upfront. Organized pirate gangs are responsible for these attacks, with the perpetrators mostly acting on behalf of a third party. This chapter provides an insight into the operations of organized pirate gangs. It explores how their activities are linked to transnational crime syndicates in Asia and demonstrates that the same, and similar, organized crime groups that are involved in piracy pose a threat to national, regional, and international security.