By Ravi Velloor, South Asia Bureau Chief

NEW DELHI: The pirate 'mother ship' downed off the Gulf of Aden last week by an Indian stealth frigate was a Thai-owned fishing trawler that had been seized by pirates earlier in the day, it was confirmed yesterday.

The Indian Navy shrugged off the news, saying it does not matter what the ship had originally been used for: Its warship had retaliated after being fired upon and there was no question that pirates were on board and had shown hostile intent.

'We maintain that we acted against a ship that was involved in piracy,' said Commander Nirad Sinha, the navy spokesman in New Delhi. 'If the vessel wasn't involved in piracy, why did it not stop for investigation? Why was it threatening to blow us out of the water and why did it fire at us?'

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