Erstellt am: 30. 9. 2011 - 14:47 Uhr

The real trauma of a pirate attack

Reality Check: Piracy victims support, parliamentary committee to investigate scandals, Burma halts dam construction, Sekem, life on other planets

Stories of piracy are in the news almost every day, but after the drama of the events, the fate of the victims and their families is often forgotten. The victims of piracy and their families face a gruelling and traumatic ordeal, and with pirate attacks now common, especially in the Gulf of Aden, the ITF Seafarers' Trust is setting up a new worldwide programm to help.

According to the ITF website,

"Pirates now regularly treat hostage seafarers with extreme violence to pressurise families and employers to expedite their ransom demands. This can include phoning family members and forcing the seafarer to plead for their life while they are being abused and threatened with death, and filming and posting this online for relatives to see."

Roy Paul of the ITF Seafarers' Trust says the fun and glamourous image of pirates presented in books and films belies the harsh truth, and gives the public a very false impression of what piracy is really about. He says:

"Until now, there has been little coordinated help for those who are suffering. Now that will change. With the help of those in the industry who want to do their best for those involved, we intend to build up a network of first responders and get psychosocial help for affected crews.”

Roy told Riem Higazi the shocking truth about how modern pirates operate, and the desperate need for organised help and support for their victims.

Parliamentary Committee to look into scandals

With all parties except the Greens now having members under scrutiny with allegations of corruption, one parliamentary committee will now be appointed to investigate all the scandals. Joanna Kind talks to Dr Marcelo Jenny from the Department of Government at Vienna University about the likely outcome, and the implications of criminal and parliamentary investigations running side by side.

Burma's President halts Chinese dam project

Following massive public protests, Burma's president has agreed to suspend a highly controversial dam project on the Irrawaddy River. However, our regional correspondent, Tony Cheng, says it is not at all clear that this is a victory for democracy, as the government may have its own agenda.

Sekem

As this year's Alternative Nobel Prizes are awarded, Riem Higazi meets a 2003 winner, Ibrahim Abouleish who founded Sekem, an Egyptian project for sustainable development and education.

Life on other planets

Although scientists have generally been sceptical about the possibility of finding life on other planets, astronomers now say they have found a "super earth" that could support life similar to that found on our own earth. Lisa Kaltenegger of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany told Chris Cummins about some of the planets that are being discovered at the moment, and the prospects for finding life.

FM4 Reality Check

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