Jul 18, 2012
Double probe into US Navy sea shooting
UAE authorities and the US navy are both examining the circumstances under which an armed American naval oil-supply vessel opened fire with a heavy machinegun on a fishing boat returning to port with
six Indian crew and two Emiratis.
One fisherman, A Sekar, 29, was shot dead. Three others Muthu Muniraj, 28, Muthu Kannan, 40, and Pandu Sanadhan, 26 were injured. The four others were unhurt.
US navy officials said the USNS Rappahannock resorted to lethal force only after issuing repeated warnings to the crew of the Emirati-registered Tharath, and that the fishermen disregarded the warnings and rapidly approached the US ship.
The fishing boat survivors said the American ship opened fire without warning. Muthu Muniraj, 28, who was shot in the right leg, said: We saw the boat from far.
When we came close, we slowed down to let them pass to avoid any accidents. Once we crossed them from behind, they started firing at us. Usually, we know alarms and sirens are sounded by ships. But there were no warnings.
The US Embassy in New Delhi expressed its condolences to the families of the crew.
For the crew on the deck of the fishing vessel Tharath on Monday, it was a chance to enjoy the sea breezes at the end of a long day hauling in their weekly catch.
The 30-metre boat had been at sea since 7am, escaping the suffocating heat of a Dubai summer. Now it cruised 19 kilometres parallel to the port of Jebel Ali. Few of the six-man Indian crew paid much attention to the huge grey ship steaming directly in front of them into the Arabian Gulf.
It took a few seconds to turn a pleasant afternoon cruise into a scene of horror. As the fishing boat turned to pass behind the bigger ship, it was raked with bullets from a powerful .50 calibre heavy machinegun mounted on the deck of the other vessel.
The circumstances behind what the US navy calls the "USNS Rappahannock Incident" are still unclear, with the fishermen offering conflicting accounts from those by American authorities. All that can be said with any certainty is that when the shooting stopped, one fisherman was dead and three others lay injured following a catastrophic breakdown in communication.
According to the fishermen, the bullets began to fly without warning. "There were just lots of bullets coming at us," said one of the men, Murugan, 40, who escaped unhurt. "We are not sure how we survived. If the US navy had given us some warning signals, we would have been more careful."
Muthu Muniraj was less lucky, and was wounded in his right leg. He says the US navy started firing at them after their boat crossed the USNS Rappahannock and was heading towards the shore.
"We saw the boat from far," said Mr Muniraj. "When we came close, we slowed down to let them pass to avoid any accidents. Once we crossed them from behind, they started firing at us.
"Usually, we know alarms and sirens are sounded by ships. But there were no warnings."
The US account of what happened on Monday afternoon in UAE territorial waters is more clinical, but also runs counter to the fishermen's claims. The Rappahannock is a 31,000-tonne refuelling ship attached to the navy's Military Sealift Command, which replenishes American ships on active duty. Her crew are civilians, but entering areas of high risk such as the Arabian Gulf - with the constant threat of Iranian fast-attack craft - the US places on board what it calls an Embarked Security Team of service personnel, in this case armed with heavy machineguns.
Muthu Kannan is one of the fisherman from India getting treatment at the Rashid Hospital after he was shot by the US navy.
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Fellow crew members of the Tharath, Murugan, left, and Kumaresan, visit Pandu Sanadhan at Rashid Hospital in Dubai.
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Provided photo of the fishing boat Tharath.
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Muthu Muniraj fisherman from India getting treatment at the Rashid Hospital in Dubai. Yesterday he was shot by US Navy off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Double probe into US Navy sea shooting - The National
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Here's a pic of the
USNS Rappahannock, the vessel whose crew fired on an aggressive boat:
That's right, gang, it isn't a fighting ship but a logistics vessel, a gussied-up tanker, appropriately called an "oiler" in Navy parlance. Did the aggressive boat mistake the ship for an oil tanker and easy prey for pirates? You decide.
Above against this?
Provided photo of the fishing boat Tharath.
Jul 17, 2012
US navy opens fire on fishing boat off UAE coast
A fisherman was killed and three other men critically injured yesterday after a United States navy oil-supply vessel opened fire on a fishing boat.
The four Indian victims were among eight people on the fishing boat, with two Emiratis and two other Indians. The incident happened at 2.50pm, 16 kilometres off the coast of Jebel Ali.
“The injured men are in intensive care,” a Coastguard official said last night.
Lt Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the US navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, said the crew of the USNS Rappahannock used lethal force after the fishermen disregarded a series of warnings and rapidly approached the US ship. When those efforts failed to deter the fishing boat, the security team on the ship opened fire with a .50-calibre machinegun, he said.
The incident is under investigation by the US navy. The American vessel provides fuel and supplies to US navy and coalition ships.
“The UAE-concerned authorities are investigating the incident,” Dr Tariq Ahmed Al Hidan, political affairs assistant to the Foreign Minister, told the state news agency Wam.
Dubai’s police chief, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, said the captain of the boat did not receive any warning.
“The primary investigation confirms that the boat was in its right course and did not pose any danger. The shooting was clearly a mistake,” he said.
The Indian ambassador to the UAE, MK Lokesh, said the embassy was waiting for UAE authorities to investigate the incident.
“We have to still ascertain the exact circumstances in which the boat was shot,” Mr Lokesh said. "We are waiting for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' response. I have asked the consulate to assist the injured and I will also try to visit them."
The ambassador said the Indian missions would contact all four men's relatives in India to keep them informed.
A local fisherman said last night the boat had been returning with its daily catch and claimed it was shot without any warning.
“They were coming back to the marina area and the two Emiratis were inside the cabin driving the boat. The other men were sitting outside,” he said.
A US Navy spokesperson said the USNS Rappahannock used lethal force after the fishermen disregarded a series of warnings and rapidly approached the ship.
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Emirati police and other officials inspect a fishing boat that was shot at by the crew of a United States navy vessel. One fisherman was killed and three other men critically injured.
US navy opens fire on fishing boat off UAE coast - The National
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Jul 18, 2012
Indian leaders call for inquiry into US navy shooting of fishing boat
India's government has asked the UAE to conduct a thorough investigation into Monday's incident.
"India's ambassador in Abu Dhabi has requested UAE authorities to probe the circumstances of the tragic incident," said Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the Indian ministry of external affairs.
He said the Indian Embassy in Washington had been "in touch with US agencies regarding the incident in the Gulf and assured of a full investigation".
The external affairs minister, SM Krishna, said India was "in touch with our envoys in Dubai and the US" and that the UAE had filed a case about the shooting.
"It is unfortunate that an Indian fisherman has been killed. On behalf of the government of India, I send my condolences. We have earnestly taken up the matter," said Mr Krishna.
Mr Akbaruddin also said India's acting consul general in Dubai had gone to Jebel Ali port "to provide necessary assistance to Indian nationals involved".
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the fishermen's home state, asked the Indian government for an inquiry into the shooting and called for the victims' families to be compensated.
J Jayalalithaa also compared the incident to one in February, when two fishermen from Kerala were killed by Italian naval officers off the south-west coast of India.
"I am pained to inform you that one of the fishermen … died due to shooting by the US naval ship," said Ms Jayalalithaa in a letter to Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister.
"I request you to ensure that due compensation is paid to the families of the deceased and injured fishermen."
Leaders of opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including M Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, called for the arrest of those who were responsible for the shooting.
The fishermen involved are from several villages in the district of Ramanathapuram, near the shores of the Bay of Bengal.
In Ramanathapuram, people gathered asking for more news about the injured. One young woman, Rajewari, prayed for her husband, Muthu Muniraj, who left to work in the UAE a month after his wedding.
The fishermen, on contract with a UAE-based shipping company, arrived in Dubai almost a year ago.
Family and friends mourned the passing of the dead fisherman, Sekar, 29, who left for Dubai 10 months ago to work on the ship in order to pay off debts from his sister's marriage, according to a local TV station.
Indian leaders call for inquiry into US navy shooting of fishing boat - The National
. and with our experience, I may may say that US's strategic people know well that invading Iran is next to impossible, this much strength they have. their 12th ranked in Global Fire Power is not because they have too many high tech arms, but because they have developed a credible resistance to any type of aggression. but if we again have a look on this same ranking, its very easy to put troops on the soil of SA/UAE. and also the news we are getting like this, US is attacking on the UAE's boat????? i guess, US/NATO may provoke Iran+Syria+Lebnan to respond and when Iran will have done a level of mess with Arabs, then US will have got enough reason to put troops on the soil of Saudi Arabia/UAE etc, which they will never withdraw........
, then there will be no fund for Taliban also then onward....... and also the way we are getting news that even Saudi King has been bribed for over $1bil for all these mess in Gulf region, supporting terrorism in Syria, ..... Im very sure that this much gathering of military in Gulf is to take over SA+UAE+Qatar type oil rich nations only, not for Iran. before US's economy may fall and then they will have to decomission their aircraft carriers/naval arms etc similar to how Russia did after fall of SU in early 90s, US would use these ships properly and they are on right track for future benefits in that region......
