邦人死亡確認 人命軽視はやむを得ないか

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 24, 2013)
Was military action only way to end Algerian siege?
邦人死亡確認　人命軽視はやむを得ないか（1月23日付・読売社説）

The Algerian hostage crisis has ended with tragic consequences.
　痛ましい結末だ。

Seven Japanese, including employees of plant engineering and manufacturing firm JGC Corp., were confirmed to have been killed during an attack on an Algerian natural gas plant by a group of Islamist militants.
　アルジェリアの天然ガス関連施設がイスラム武装勢力に襲われた事件でプラントメーカー「日揮」社員ら日本人７人の死亡が確認された。

We condemn the criminal group for targeting "corporate warriors" diligently working in a foreign country under severe conditions.
　過酷な環境の異国で仕事に励む“企業戦士”を標的にした犯罪者集団を強く非難する。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the terrorist attack Tuesday, saying: "It's extremely heartbreaking. We'll never tolerate terrorism." We agree entirely.
　安倍首相が「痛恨の極みだ。テロを絶対に許さない」と言明したのは、当然である。

The siege was unusual in that more than 30 heavily armed terrorists held hostage scores of people from several countries, including Japan, Britain and the United States.
　３０人を超す重武装のテロ集団が日米英など多国籍の外国人多数を拘束する特異な事件だった。

An investigation must be conducted urgently to get to the bottom of this incident. Suspicion has arisen that the assailants had collaborators at the plant who provided information and guidance.
　事件の全容解明と検証が急がれる。施設内に内通者がいて武装勢力を手引きした疑いがある。

At a news conference Monday, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said 37 foreigners died and 29 militants were killed in the siege.
　アルジェリアのセラル首相は記者会見で、外国人３７人が死亡、犯人２９人を殺害したと述べた。

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Hostages' lives not priority?

The Algerian military operation to bring the situation under control as soon as possible has been criticized for not giving enough consideration to the hostages' lives. Sellal stood by the decision to launch the assault by stressing his government's stance of not yielding to terrorism. His statement also reflects the domestic situation in which long years of civil war killed as many as 150,000 people in Algeria.
　アルジェリア軍の早期制圧作戦には、人質の人命軽視との批判があった。セラル首相が「テロに屈しない」と強調した背景には、長年の内戦で１５万人もの犠牲者を出した国内事情もあるだろう。

Sellal said launching the military operation soon after the siege started was necessary because the militants had attempted to flee Algeria with the hostages and planted explosives in a bid to blow up the gas complex.
　武装勢力が人質を連れて国外逃亡を図ったほか、ガス田施設を破壊しようと爆弾を仕掛けており、それを阻止するには早期制圧が不可欠だった、とも説明した。

If the militants had been allowed to get away with their crimes, it could lead to second and third terrorist attacks. The Algerian government apparently felt it had no alternative but to resort to the use of force.
　今回の武装勢力の犯行を許せば、第２、第３のテロを誘発しかねない。アルジェリア政府としては、武力行使以外に選択肢がなかったということなのだろう。

Any unilateral attack on economic activity in a civilized society must be met with return fire.
　文明社会で営まれる経済活動に一方的に攻撃を仕掛けられたら、応戦せざるを得ない。

British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that his government was not told of the military operation in advance. But after the siege ended, he showed a degree of understanding of the early Algerian military operation by saying resolving the crisis would be a very difficult mission for security forces of any country.
　キャメロン英首相は、武力行使の事前通告がなかったことに不満を表明していたが、事件終結後は「どの国の治安部隊にも非常に難しい任務」だったと指摘し、早期制圧に一定の理解を示した。

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Lessons for Japan

The Abe administration has dispatched a government-chartered aircraft to Algeria to bring home survivors and the victims' bodies. We also urge the government to quickly confirm what happened to three Japanese who remain unaccounted for.
　安倍政権は政府専用機をアルジェリアに派遣し、生存者の帰国や遺体の搬送を進める。なお安否が不明な３人の確認も急ぎたい。

It is important that the Algerian government be asked to give detailed explanations on the circumstances under which the military operation was conducted, and how the Japanese died.
　どういう状況で軍事作戦が行われ、日本人が死亡したのかについて、アルジェリア政府に詳細な説明を求めることが大切だ。

The crisis has brought problems with the Japanese government's crisis management system to the surface.
　一方で、日本政府の危機管理体制上の課題も浮かび上がった。

Like the United States and European countries also affected by the siege, Japan only obtained scant snippets of information while the Algerian forces conducted the military operation.
　アルジェリア軍が軍事作戦を主導する中、欧米諸国と同様、事件情報がほとんど取れなかった。

Japan has 49 uniformed defense attaches stationed overseas, including only two in Africa--one in Egypt and one in Sudan. The number of such attaches in Africa must be steadily increased.
　自衛隊制服組の防衛駐在官は現在、世界全体で４９人いるが、アフリカはエジプトとスーダンの２人だけだ。着実な増員が必要だ。

To protect Japanese firms operating in troubled regions, specialists with expertise on these areas and antiterrorism measures should be trained, and the nation's information-gathering and analyzing capabilities strengthened.
　紛争地域に進出した日本企業を守るには、各地域やテロ対策の専門家を育成し、情報収集・分析能力を高めることが急務である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 23, 2013)
（2013年1月23日02時00分  読売新聞）