Pirates Mutilate Captain
According to Tuoitrenews a Vietnamese Captain held hostage by Somali pirates has had his arm cut off.
Tuoitrenews, an online publication of Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre newspaper, has reported that one of the Vietnamese hostages held captive by the Somali pirates who are demanding a US$3 million ransom, has been mutilated in an attempt to persuade the shipowners to pay the ransom.
The Maritime Security Review is not in the position to verify or otherwise the report, however, given the nature of the development and our knowledge and experience of Somalia, we have decided to republish the original article from Tuoitrenews.
Somalia pirates chop off arm: Vietnam hostage
At least two Vietnamese fishermen have called home to seek help as they and others are being held captive by Somalia pirates who demand US$3 million in ransom. The pirates have chopped off one arm of the captain, one hostage said over the phone.
Tran Van Vinh (pictured) from the northern province of Nghe An yesterday afternoon told Tuoi Tre that his son Tran Van Hung on January 20 (two days ago) called home for help.
Hung was captured by Somalia pirates while working on the Taiwanese fishing vessel FV Shiuh Fu-1. He is currently being held hostage.
According to the father, Hung cried a lot and said that the Somalia sides allowed 12 Vietnamese fishermen and some other Chinese ones to call home for 5 minutes each.
Hung also said that the pirates have chopped off completely one arm of the captain as they have not received any ransom.
They repeatedly beat the mutilated captain and deputy captain, Hung told his father over the phone.
As their ship is in a bad state, Hung said that there is a possibility the Taiwanese company (owner of the ship) will not pay the ransom.
The pirates have taken all of the captives ashore.
The pirates said this is the last time they allowed the captives to call home, Hung cried on the phone.
Earlier on November 23, 2011, Hung called home and said that the pirates wanted VND60 billion (around US$3 million) in ransom for the ship and the crew.
According to Hung, the owner said the sum was too high and refused to pay.
Meanwhile, Vo Thi Nhi, mother of another hostage fisherman named Luu Dinh Hung also said that her son called home on the evening of January 20 and pleaded with her to convince the ship owner and authorities to pay the ransom.
According to Nhi, her son said that life in captivity is extremely hard and life-threatening.
On December 25, 2010, the FV Shiuh Fu-1 with 26 Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen on board was held captive by Somalia pirates on Madagascar seas.
3 Replies to “Pirates Mutilate Captain”
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This is a horrible disgrace and can only be stopped by using high seas protectdion tactics unaffordable to these smaller outfits. Have you reported this to the JOURNAL of COMMERCE? They have a comprehensive review of piracy and may be able to offer some referrals for help in negotiating for this crews life if even they are still alive. God help them and all mariners.
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If this report proves to be true (please see MSR’s caveat) it does raise the thorny issue of intervention.
At the risk of appearing overdramatic, it also raises the even thornier issue of first and second class citizens; were the majority of the pirate’s hostages American or European would our governments maintain the status quo?
“Since 2006, a total of 748 Filipinos……………..”
Forgive the apparently rhetorical question but what would happen were the hostages French, British or American?
In what can only be described as a Catch-22 situation, the scandalous situation will continue as the importance of seafarers’ remittances to the Philippine economy (currently estimated at circa $2.461 billion a year) is such that no Filipino association or union is going insist upon any form of industrial action that could jeopardise the seafarers’ future prospects.
Here’s a link to an interesting article from a couple of months ago:
Filipino Seafarers: In Hell and High Waters
http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/21-21/7617-filipino-seafarers-in-hell-and-high-waters
I have spent much time in Bosaso, Puntland, and the illegal fishing industry there, in the Gulf of Aden, is a form of commercial priacy and takes away from the livlihoods by many Somali fisherman. Many of the fish stocks, which were once very strong there, have been exploited by foriegn fishing vessels, which just come and take all they can get, and many, are the huge commercial vessels. Being somewhat pessamistic, this seems that this act could have been in retaliation of the problem with illegal fishing within the 200 miloe boundries of Somalia.
There are always two sides to a story and the livlihoods of these fisherman and their families are at stake. I have worked with the Puntland Government and Somalia Fisheries authorities and they do have commercial lisenses and authority permits, of which no country obeys. They also have in place a security review by the Somalia and Puntland Coast Guards, but its rarely given the proper attention
it should properly receive by the international community.
More Info- deanofkuwait@yahoo.com