Pirates…
Seriously, in reality, there are plenty of pirates. Not the fictional wacky versions of Pirates of the Carribean or the cheesy Captain Hook. These are real-life pirates.
Currently there are two types of them:
1. Somali pirates who seize ships to demand a ransom
2. Malaysian pirates who illegally reproduce media without copyrights
The Somali pirates are dangerous pirates, like the ones we see on television. However, they have gone modern. Instead of swords and old-fashioned guns, they now have modern weapons like AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenades.
And, the Somali government cannot do anything about them. What's most likely happening, is the fact that the pirates are so rich after obtaining profit by capturing passing ships. They could bribe the government forces so much so they won't seize them, instead, provide them with arms.
In the news, we hear plenty of reports of trading vessels held in captivity by these pirates. Still, not much action is taken by the Somali government. However, other nations like the USA and France prepare to retake the vessels they once owned. It is as if the pirates are like the Mafia in Italy, controlling the entire country's economy.
And back in Malaysia, I was strolling in a mall in OUG. A mall named Citrus Park. Once I entered the ground floor, I saw a vendor clearly renting a shop, displaying hundreds of DVDs. With that, dozens of people surrounding the shop. Apparently, right here in Malaysia, the people love the pirates.
And I went on and I saw a kiosk, selling a lot of PC games. It was there I bought Red Alert 3. After purchasing my stuff, I was smiling and telling myself, I'll be coming back here. Clearly, I love these pirates too!
So, a message to Polis Diraja Malaysia: Stop busting these pirates. They are the heart and soul of media in this country.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 at 1:19 pm and is filed under NewsZone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
