This year alone, more than 50 ships have been attacked, 25 hijacked (劫持), and 14 are currently beig held.

　　Of course this is nothing new either. Ever since there has been water and ships there have been pirates. The earliest documented history of pirates dates back to the 13th century in the Mediterranean Sea. Even the famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar was kidnapped (绑架) by pirates at one time.

　　Piracy reached its peak in the early l700s, especially in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. In the mid-20th-century, most pirates we're common thieves. They used hooks to steal on board commercial ships, and took all that they could find. These pirates were more likely to flee than fight if met by the crew.

　　However, nowadays piracy has become a multi-million dollar business attracting many in poor countries such as Somalia. "The pirates are well funded and have all the latest equipment, including satellite phones," said a top UN representative in Somalia.

　　In Asia, however, a trend started where pirates didn’t just want to kidnap the stuff, they also wanted to control the ship. They would kill the crewmembers or kidnap them for ransom (赎金). After the recent kidnapping of Ukrainian ship, people are also worrying that tanks and arms on board would fall into hands of terrorists.

　　Last week the UN called a meeting from all affected countries to fight piracy. "The international community is determined to stop these pirates who are weakening efforts to bring peace to Somalia. This cannot and will not be allowed to continue," a representative said.

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