India intercepts North Korean ship

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/08/india.nkorea/index.html

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Indian investigators are investigating a North Korean vessel they say had ignored warnings and sailed close to an unusual location off its remote island chain in the Bay of Bengal.

The vessel, which had a crew of 39, was carrying a cargo of sugar, said K.R. Nautiyal, the deputy inspector-general of the Indian coast guard at the Andamans.

It was bound from Thailand to Iraq but changed course and anchored off Hut Bay without responding to calls from coast guard authorities, he said.

"There were several inconsistencies," Nautiyal said, adding that the vessel would be allowed to leave once the investigation is completed.

Indian authorities first intercepted the ship on Wednesday and fired warning shots into the air when it did not answer radio calls, according to the coast guard.

It is under investigation at Port Blair, the main administrative center of the archipelago.