Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09PORTLOUIS181
2009-06-17 08:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Port Louis
Cable title:  

MAURITIUS' EMERGENCY PIRACY MEETING: A TENTATIVE

Tags:  PHSA PBTS EWWT MARR MOPS MP 
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FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT LOUIS 000181 

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AF/RSA FOR BITTRICK
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/17/2019
TAGS: PHSA PBTS EWWT MARR MOPS MP
SUBJECT: MAURITIUS' EMERGENCY PIRACY MEETING: A TENTATIVE
CALL TO ACTION, WITH AN EYE ON THE PUBLIC

REF: A. PORT LOUIS 176

B. PORT LOUIS 109

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Virginia M. Blaser for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT LOUIS 000181

SIPDIS

AF/E FOR BEYZEROV
AF/RSA FOR BITTRICK
ANTAN FOR DAO
NAIROBI FOR KUSLO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/17/2019
TAGS: PHSA PBTS EWWT MARR MOPS MP
SUBJECT: MAURITIUS' EMERGENCY PIRACY MEETING: A TENTATIVE
CALL TO ACTION, WITH AN EYE ON THE PUBLIC

REF: A. PORT LOUIS 176

B. PORT LOUIS 109

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Virginia M. Blaser for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: A public outcry from the fisheries and
shipping sector, coupled with fishing ships fleeing the
Indian Ocean for safer waters and a 20 percent drop in fish
suppliers for Mauritius since January, prompted Foreign
Minister (FORMIN) Arvin Boolell and Attorney General (AG)
Rama Valayden to convene a June 11 meeting with industry
stakeholders, international partners, and the press to
discuss ways to combat piracy in the region. The meeting was
the first public action by the GOM since CDA first demarched
Boolell on April 13 on the need to increase Mauritian efforts
to combat regional piracy. GOM officials used the meeting to
outline the imminent economic threat posed by pirates, to set
forth new proposals and legislation to combat piracy, to
highlight current cooperation among the GOM and its partners,
and to appeal for international assistance to help Mauritius
in its efforts. Post sees some potential for this effort to
lead to greater GOM engagement on anti-piracy efforts. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) On June 11, FORMIN Boolell, accompanied by the AG,
convened an emergency meeting on piracy that included
industry stakeholders, multilateral and bilateral partners,
and the press. This meeting was the first public MFA action
since CDA first demarched Boolell on April 13 on the need to
increase Mauritian efforts and regional cooperation to combat
piracy. The press was only invited to the first part of the
meeting, in which Boolell, reacting to a growing concern
about GOM inaction on piracy in the region, noted that
"measures" are in place and meetings had been held, and
assured attendees that the GOM understood the gravity of the
issue. Without giving specifics, he mentioned "four
meetings" in which Mauritius took part, as a member of
various regional bodies such as the Indian Ocean Commission

(IOC),Southern Africa Development Community (SADC),and
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
regarding piracy.


3. (SBU) Boolell said the GOM will explore a proposal made by
Police Commissioner Dhun Iswar Rampersad, who is the
equivalent to the Chief of Defense Forces, to contribute
personnel and expertise to anti-piracy efforts in Seychelles.
He also stated that a Special Mobile Forces (SMF)
paramilitary contingent is now stationed in the northern
Mauritian island of Agalega to ward off potential pirate
attacks. AG Valayden then outlined the legal framework that
governs how to handle and prosecute pirates, and introduced
the newly enacted Merchant Shipping Act 2007 as the key
legislation pertaining to piracy. Boolell continued by
praising "traditional partners" such as the United States,
the European Union (EU),and India for contributing training,
equipment, and patrols in the fight against piracy, publicly
crediting CDA Blaser with being the first person to alert him
to the gravity of the issue.


4. (SBU) Dismissing the press, Boolell called upon guests to
share their concerns and thoughts. Indian Ocean Commission
(IOC) Secretary General Callixte D'Offay, a native
Seychellois concerned about piracy, said the IOC had enacted
a resolution on piracy in its last general meeting and has
written to other multilateral organizations such as
Francophonie, African Union, and the United Nations Secretary
General to harmonize approaches and efforts to combat piracy.
He also noted the upcoming IOC Summer Seminar on piracy from
July 9-10 in Reunion Island, France.


5. (C) As the other multilateral group invited, the EU, did
not attend, Boolell continued to industry stakeholders
represented by Mauritius Exporters Association (MEXA)
President Ahmed Parker and Director Danielle Wong. Parker
and Wong were accompanied by General Manager of Thon Des
Mascareignes (TDM) Patrice Robert and Princes Managing
Director Evert Lewis, representing the two largest tuna
companies on the island, and Managing Director of MAERSK Ltd.
Mauritius Mads Skov-Hansen, representing the shipping sector.
The TDM representative recounted that since January 2009, 18

PORT LOUIS 00000181 002 OF 003


European fishing vessels, mostly Spanish or French purse
seiners and trawlers, have left Indian Ocean waters because
of pirates, and seven more will reportedly leave by the end
of the month. This sudden departure represents a 20 percent
loss of the tuna supply for both TDM and Princes. Robert
said if the exodus continues factories will close and many
jobs will be lost. Lewis said closing factories is a last
resort, but that any alternative would be quite costly. He
suggested instead the creation of delimited zones for fishing
vessels for specific periods based on the migratory patterns
of the fish and increasing naval patrols of these areas.


6. (C) Maersk director Mads Skov-Hansen volunteered that the
cost of piracy for the shipping industry includes using
larger, partly empty ships on small feeder routes because
they sail faster, and paying more insurance. The shipping
cost per container has gone up for Mauritius as a result of
such measures, he said, and such costs are eventually passed
on to customers, especially in a net-importer such as
Mauritius. Hansen made it clear that he thought force was
needed against the pirates.


7. (C) Boolell then asked AG Valayden to discuss the legal
parameters of combating piracy. "What do you do when you
catch a Somali pirate," asked the AG, starting with the
question he plans to present to the cabinet in coming weeks
to prompt them to think about Mauritius spearheading the
harmonization of piracy laws in Indian Ocean countries. The
AG stressed that capturing pirates is one feat, but humanely
detaining them and prosecuting them in a way that respects
the Law of the Sea and the UN Convention of the High Seas is
another. (Note: Mauritius is a signatory to both
resolutions. End Note.) Valayden used almost verbatim quotes
from U.S. demarches at one point.


8. (C) "These treaties keep modern day operators fighting
pirates with one hand tied behind their backs, when it used
to be they would simply sink them," retorted TDM Manager
Patrice Robert. Danielle Wong, MEXA director, called for an
information exchange with Indonesian defense forces to see
how they controlled piracy in the Strait of Malacca. Robert
implored the government to declare piracy in Mauritian waters
an act of war, with the apparent hope of escaping the
constraints of international treaties. Private sector
representatives called for more cooperation among the naval
forces fighting piracy. Poloff noted that there is a great
deal of coordination of such efforts, and the CDA pointed out
that the affected area of the Indian Ocean is far more vast
than the Strait of Malacca.


9. (C) Boolell then invited his bilateral partners, Indian
Deputy High Commissioner Madhusudan Ganapathi and CDA
Virginia Blaser, to highlight their countries' respective
efforts. Ganapathi touted India's history of maritime
security cooperation with Mauritius and assured participants
that Indian vessels in the area will continue to assist. He
also made a broad reference to Indian ships helping in an
effort to thwart pirate attacks in the region. CDA Blaser
mentioned US patrols in the region and the maritime security
equipment and training the U.S. provides to Mauritius, which
includes a 30-foot Defender Class Boat and an Automated
Identification System (AIS) to increase Maritime Domain
Awareness.


10. (C) In closing, Boolell said the GOM will: create a
central body to coordinate efforts; explore joint anti-piracy
operations with Seychelles; designate POC's at each relevant
ministry; present the AG's approach to the cabinet on
Mauritius regional leadership in piracy; and devise a plan to
avoid outsourcing the fish supply, coordinating with the
private sector and EU flagged vessels.


11. (C) COMMENT: Boolell and Valayden painted a vague,
broad-brush picture of Mauritian anti-piracy efforts, one
that seemed to be largely colored by previous U.S. demarches
urging Mauritius to begin a broader regional cooperation
campaign against piracy, especially with Seychelles. While
Mauritius is capable of leading a regional effort to
harmonize anti-piracy laws and of conducting joint
anti-piracy operations with regional partners like
Seychelles, action does not appear to be imminent. In fact,

PORT LOUIS 00000181 003 OF 003


showing a concerned Mauritian public that its government is
taking action behind the scenes seemed to be a major aim of
this hastily convened meeting. Nonetheless, it does
represent acknowledgment of the problem and of responsibility
to act. Valayden's awareness of the issues is especially
encouraging. END COMMENT.
BLASER