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The
NewPirates
M
aritime piracy has
resurfaced and now
flourishes in places such as
the Malacca Strait between
Indonesia and Malaysia, the
South China Sea, the coasts
of West Africa and Brazil, the
Caribbean and the Phillip
Channel between Singapore
and Indonesia.
AswanDam:
Mixed
Blessing
S
ome three dozen
African nations are
sulfering varying degrees ol
drought and lamine that
have claimed thousands ol
lives. Yet Egypt is still
enjoying multiple harvests.
One of the main reasons
lor this good news amid
much despair is Egypt's
33-story Aswan High
Dam.
lt's been called an
ecological, economic and
cultural disaster. Yet
Egypt's Aswan Dam has
been the difference
between
continued irrigated food
production and the drought
and lamine that grip much
of Africa.
There is no doubt that
Egypt has paid a high price
October 1985
More than 200 pirate raids
have been recorded since
1980. The actual number may
be as high as 400. These
raids, along with shipping
frauds, cost shippers and
ship owners about
US$1 ,000,000,000 a year,
according to the United
Nations Conference on Trade
and Oevelopment.
Among the victims have
been Asia's boat people,
fishermen, merchant vessels
lor the dam and massive
Lake Nasser, which the
dam created. Hidden costs
raised much criticism of the
Soviet-built project.
Expensive application of
fertilizer is now
necessary, since the
2.4-mile-long dam traps the
Violent Crime
andYou
V
iolen! crime strikes 1 in
every 33
Americans-about 3
percent-each year, says a
U.S. Justice Department study
of crime statistics.
Nearly seven million
Americans are victimized by
violen! crime annually,
according lo the study, which
covered the years 1978
through 1982 and included
rapes, robberies and
assaults. Assaults are the
most common violen! crime.
And seven million is a
and oil tankers. During the
past four years, 1,376
people have been killed,
2,283 raped and 593
abducted by pirates working
the coast of Thailand,
according to a United Nations
report.
The increase of piracy is
attributed to Third World
poverty and the worldwide
drug trade. The smaller crews
ol modern ships add to their
vulnerability.
rich silt that once
nourished farmers' fields.
Erosion along the banks of
the Nile River has
destroyed the once-lucrative
Egyptian sardine
industry.
In addition, increased
humidity levels in the
conservative estímate: The
study did not include murder,
manslaughter by drunk
driving, kidnapping, child
abuse or similar crimes.
The study found that men
were more likely to become
Egypt's Aswan Dam helped
prevent drought but with
negative repercussions.
country have endangered
many of Egypt's ancient
archaeological treasures. And
displaced Nubians are still
wrestling with negative effects
ol their relocation, among
them the disease bilharzia,
caused by water snails that
rapidly multiply in the now
slow-flowing Nile.
Further, if the drought
continues in the headwater
countries of the Nile, Egypt
could be in for future trouble.
But for now, none can
dispute Egyptian Presiden!
Hosni Mubarak 's remark,
"The High Dam has preved
throughout the years that it
has carried out its role in
protecting Egypt against
drought." •
violent-crime victims than
women, that a higher
proportion of blacks are
victimized than whites and
that young people aged 16 lo
24 are more likely to be
victimized than people of
other age groups. There is a
direct relationship between
family income and
victimization: The lower the
income, the greater the
victimization.
According to a separate
study, the average American
has a 1 in 133 chance of
being murdered in his or her
lifetime, and one chance in
10,000 of being murdered in
any given year. •
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