Insurers have bristled at British politicanturned-columnist Matthew Parris who's advocated outlawing ransoms to pirates who seize vessels and crew. Parris, writing in The Times, said: "Piracy is funded by pirates and insurance companies." He accused the London insurance market of putting seafarers' lives at risk by not insisting on armed guards on vessels. His attack, following a UK parliamentary report on the problem [see Fairplay, 12 January], branded the industry as middlemen for ransom payment, responsible for the growth of Somali piracy and profiteering from the seizure of vessels. "Many careers and many fortunes - all perfectly legal - are now founded upon this racket," said the former Conservative MP.
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