INTERNATIONAL COORPORATION NEEDED IN HANDLING PIRATES

Medan, N Sumatra, Dec 22 (ANTARA) - Somali pirates that have held 11 Indonesians hostage in the Yemeni waters must be dealt with under international cooperation.

"The handling of a relatively big case should be done through diplomatic channels or mobilization of international power" said an international law expert, Prof Dr. Suhaidi, SH, here Monday.

He made the statement when asked about the case of the 11 Indonesian crew members that had been held hostage aboard a Malaysian tugboat by Somalian pirates in the Yemeni waters on Tuesday (Dec 16).

Lately the pirates demanded a ransom from the ship's owner in exchange for the release of the hostages.

Suhaidi said that pirate handling cannot be done only by the Indonesian and Malaysian governments , because the sea is different from land.

Every country has its own sovereignty, no country has a sovereign right to the high seas.

Related to the Indonesian hostage taking, Indonesia is expected to play an active role through international diplomatic relations.

"The Indonesian hostages must be freed and returned to their country soon. This is an Indonesian government responsibility through overseas representatives," said the University of North Sumatra (USU) law professor.

Further more he explained that the Indonesian representatives in Yemen need to monitor the health condition of the Indonesians. It needs to be done to prevent any eventuality on innocent people.

"The Indonesian government must pay attention to the hostages' condition," Suhaidi said.