Pay the Somali pirates; get crew released

Somali pirates release South Korean crew after ransom paid, it says here

Somali pirates released a South Korean fishing boat with 25 Asian crew, on Saturday, after a ransom of hundreds of thousands of dollars was paid.

"The illegal fishermen who unlawfully entered into the territorial waters of Somalia were released after they paid a fine of $800 000," elder Abdi Ilmi told AFP from Haradere, about 300km north of Mogadishu.

The released crew of the 351 ton Dongwon-ho No628, owned by Dongwon Fisheries, were kidnapped in April.

The effect of paying huge ransoms was not discussed, but I suspect it encourages more piracy.