Royal Navy won't fight pirates 'in case they claim asylum'

Normally this wouldn't catch my attention, I couldn't care less about our armed forces - they've been a joke for a very long time (not their fault, it's those in charge we've got to blame), but this is just pathetic.

British Foreign Office officials are understood to have advised the Royal Navy not to confront or arrest pirates in the region for fear of transgressing human rights legislation or encouraging their seeking asylum once taken to the UK.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/25/royal_navy_pirate_asylum_seekers/

My brothers in the Navy - think I'll see if I can get hold of him and ask about this. Personally, I think the Navy should tell those in charge to shove it, and blow the pirates out of the water - they couldn't care less about human rights, why should the Navy care about theirs?

In the meantime, the comments by Nick pretty much sum up my thoughts;

They used to say that a an Englishman could safely walk across the breadth of the British empire unprotected because no one dared provoke the armed forces. Maybe I should practice my French instead...