I have a few theories why
1) Getting caught hasn't turned out so bad for them in the past (see below)
2) They really (well, some of them) want to draw attention to the illegal fishing and dumping along their shores, which turned them to piracy
3) Once Ethiopia pulls their troops out (end of the year) they would much rather have UN troops come in, rather than the Islamist group which previously controlled all of Somalia. These folks apparently don't tolerate piracy, and I am sure they won't treat the pirates nearly as well as the U.N. countries would.
From the NY Times, Dec. 15, 2008
The pirates are totally outgunned. They continue to cruise around in fiberglass skiffs with assault rifles and at best a few rocket-propelled grenades. One Italian officer said that going after them in a 485-foot-long destroyer, bristling with surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes, was like “going after someone on a bicycle with a truck.”
... the pirates — true to form — remain unfazed.
“They can’t stop us,” said Jama Ali, one of the pirates aboard a Ukrainian freighter packed with weapons that was hijacked in September and was still being held.
He explained how he and his men hid out on a rock near the narrow mouth of the Red Sea and waited for the big gray ships with the guns to pass before pouncing on slow-moving tankers. Even if foreign navies nab some members of his crew, Mr. Jama said, he is not worried. He said his men would probably get no more punishment than a free ride back to the beach, which has happened several times.
“We know international law,” Mr. Jama said.
On Dec. 16th the U.N. passed a resolution to fight this piracy
States "may undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace, for the purpose of interdicting those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea," it says.
Although the role of the Somali government was repeatedly stressed in the resolution, that government is weak and divided. The country has been in virtual anarchy since the collapse of a dictatorship 17 years ago. Islamists control most of the south and feuding clan militias hold sway elsewhere.
It was also not clear what kind of forces would engage in land or air operations against the pirates or whether the U.S. military would participate.
This is all well and good, but I trust the international shipping community isn't going to wait around for this to solve the piracy problem.
Despite all the objections, my guess is we will start seeing armed guards onboard ships, hopefully from one of the Navies. I suspect the "flag" countries have already started discussions with countries with Navies to offer protection to their flagged ships - I trust for a fee.
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