Seychelles on BBC over new anti-piracy patrols
22.10.2009
Secretary of state Jean-Paul Adam has given a live radio interview for the BBC World Service’s Focus on Africa programme about the latest move to combat piracy.
BBC producer Paul Bakibinga asked Mr Adam about the recent deployment by the US of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Seychelles for surveillance patrols.
Mr Adam said the final number of these aircraft will be known when the need has been worked out as the deployment is on a trial basis.
“Flying drones over water is not something that has been done many times before, so the extent and number of planes is yet to be decided,” said Mr Adam.
“Everybody…all the forces involved in the anti-piracy war agree that the key to winning the war is in increasing surveillance.
“When we faced the first piracy attacks in early 2009, our President, James Michel, made an appeal to all our international partners for assistance. The US was looking for a place, and Seychelles is the ideal location.”
Mr Adam said the deployment will allow information to be shared on what is happening in this area, noting that Seychelles has 1.4 million square kilometres of exclusive economic zone, which it would not have been able to patrol efficiently using only local resources.
He said having the UAVs will allow us to know where the pirates are, which is halfway through the effort to stop them from attacking.
The UAVs used here will not carry weapons, Mr Adam said, and it is unlikely any countries in the region will object to the presence of the surveillance aircraft given that we will all benefit from the aerial patrols.
Mr Bakibinga had asked if some countries are likely to worry about spying, given the plane’s ability to focus on objects the size of a man from as far as 10 kilometres away from their vantage height of 6,000 metres.
Mr Adam said the anti-piracy effort has been a joint approach involving organisations like the European Union and nations such as China, adding that the drones – worth several million dollars – will increase the amount of information we have.
Mauritius, Kenya and countries of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa will all benefit as the surveillance makes piracy uneconomical, he added.
