国际英语新闻：7 Somali pirates charged in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has charged seven Somali pirates for firing shots at the Malaysian armed forces in the high seas with the intention of injuring or killing them in the Gulf of Aden.

The pirates arrived at a magistrate court in Kuala Lumpur on Friday under tight security.

The charge, which came under Malaysia's Firearms Act 1971 with increased penalty, carries a mandatory death sentence if convicted.

Three of the pirates, who are only 15 years old, would be tried separately as juveniles.

According to the chief prosecutor of the case, this was the first time the country has ever used such a law to prosecute anyone.

He told Xinhua that the pirates could be tried as the alleged crime was done against Malaysians off Oman waters.

Malaysia is the fifth country to prosecute the pirates after South Korea, the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands, and would be the first country to hand down a death sentence.

The pirates were captured by the Malaysian Navy in January when they were trying to hijack a Singapore-bound Malaysian tanker loaded with 9.8 million U.S. dollars worth of lubricating oil and chemical products in the Gulf of Aden.

All the 23 crew members on board were freed unscathed while three of the pirates were shot.

Two Malaysian ships have been seized by the Somali pirates in the lawless gulf previously, forcing the Malaysian Navy to deploy an auxiliary ship to protect Malaysian ships traveling through the gulf.

All the seven pirates will be remanded without bail until March 15, when they stand trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.