It's making headlines on virtually a daily basis and has galvanized the international community into action.  This week saw the successful rescue of an American ship captain who was being held hostage by Somali pirates.  Still, that didn't deter pirates who, the following day, seized another three ships off the Horn of Africa.  So far this year there have been close to 80 ships attacked in the Gulf of Aden and around 300 people and 19 ships remain being held hostage.  As a result of the stepped up incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia over the last year, international forces, including a second detachment from China that just recently arrived to relieve the first crew sent to the region, are now patrolling the waters in an effort to protect this key international shipping lane.  But what else can be done to both dissuade the pirates and at the same time protect ships from attacks? 

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  In this edition of the show we'll be talking about Piracy on the high seas.  So let's get started.

(Music)

First let's hear from a Chinese security expert.  Dr. Zhang Jiadong is a professor at the center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.

(Dialogue with Zhang)

And after a short break we'll hear from a maritime legal expert.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  I'm Paul James in Beijing.  In this edition of the program we're talking about piracy in the oceans.  For more on this we're joined on the line now by Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law at the College of Law with Australia National University in Canberra.

(Dialogue with Rothwell)

And with that we close out this edition of  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  Dealing with piracy is important.  But what should be looked at on a broader basis is why these people who take part in these acts are doing it in the first place.  Questions or comments for us can be sent to people@cri.com.cn.  For Executive Director Zhao Yang, Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang and intern Chen Jianing, I'm Paul James in Beijing.  We'll talk to you tomorrow.