“It is extremely important that the regional countries do everything they can
to take these pirates or it gives the impression that they are immune from
prosecution,” said Mr Cole.
Britain is spending more than £11 million to refurbish prisons and courts in
Kenya, the Seychelles and northern Somalia but the work is not yet complete.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence in London said: “The Foreign and
Commonwealth Office is actively pursuing options for regional prosecution.”