The Polite Pirating Guide...they even brought their own goats!

The only violence was when one pirate shot another pirate over drugs.

This whole business is starting to sound like al Qaeda got the Six Sigma memo to me. First the marked increase in hijackings, then the 80/20 split on the Le Ponant ransom and now this?

Bandits who hijacked a luxury yacht and held 30 people hostage insisted they followed a "polite pirating guide".

The six raiders claimed they had a good conduct manual on how to seize foreign vessels to ensure their prisoners felt "relaxed and cheerful" during their week's captivity.

The written guide said they must not sexually assault women hostages, not shout at prisoners, give them food and drink regularly and let them sleep and use the toilet when they ask.

The gunmen even brought goats on to the 290ft French yacht, inviting their captives and 20 friends from their village in Somalia to an on-board barbecue.

When one pirate's gun accidentally went off and narrowly missed the boat's doctor he was sent off for "carelessness".

The only violence was when one pirate shot another dead in a row over drugs.

Stockholm syndrome is a reality.

The mostly French crew, who are returning home, said the pirates never abused them. One told French newspaper France-Soir: "We really didn't have a bad time at all. At first it was frightening when men with guns boarded but we soon realised they were pretty nice guys. They were calm and polite and hardly even raised their voices. Luckily they got what they wanted and left, because they didn't look like they really wanted to kill us."

THE CHARTER
No sexual assaults on women hostages
No shouting loudly at prisoners
Allow them to use the toilet
Give hostages food and drink regularly
Let them sleep when they want.

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