Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian High Court has sentenced seven Somalian pirates to jail terms for firing at Malaysian soldiers in an incident on board the Bunga Laurel vessel, off Oman in the Gulf of Aden, in January 2011.
Three men were sentenced to ten years each and four juveniles were sentenced to eight years each after they pleaded guilty to firing at Malaysian soldiers, charges which could have seen them given a death sentence.
The pirate attack occurred after the Royal Malaysian Navy's Bunga Mas 5 vessel had left the Bunga Laurel after accompanying it to what was considered safe waters in the Gulf of Aden, about 250-300 miles off the coast of Oman. The navy sent the Bunga Mas 5 and a helicopter to the rescue after crew members locked themselves in a safe room and activated a distress call. [03/09/13]
