ID :
20104
Thu, 09/18/2008 - 23:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/20104
The shortlink copeid
PIRATES GIVE BUNGA MELATI LIMA HOSTAGES JUST ONE 'CUP' OF MEAL DAILY
PENANG (Malaysia), Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Just one 'cup' of meal a day! Sadly, that is the daily ration for each of the 41 crewmen of Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) vessel MT Bunga Melati Lima held
hostage by pirates who hijacked the vessel on Aug 29.
In a telephone conversation at 6.50pm Wednesday, hostage Nor Afandi Basar,
44, did not tell his brother, Mohd Ridza, what the meal comprised of.
He said all hostages were locked up in a small room and that he was
safe.
"However, he begged MISC to speed up the negotiation process so that all
hostages could be released as soon as possible.
"My brother told me that the pirates had demanded a RM19 million ransom to
secure the release of all hostages.
"He misses the family and longs to see them...he also hopes to be released
before Aidilfitri. He said that was also the wish of the other hostages.
"Nevertheless, I could sense nervousness in my brother's voice as if he was
in fear or under duress," Mohd Ridza, 27, told Bernama here Thursday.
The siblings managed to talk for about two minutes after Nor Afandi
received
permission from the pirates to call his family. The other hostages were also
given permission to talk to their respective families.
He reiterated that on the day the vessel was hijacked, his brother was
to have sent a short messaging service (SMS) informing the family of his
voyage. However, the SMS never arrived.
"Just before his departure, he told us that he had a bad feeling,
especially after MT Bunga Melati Dua was hijacked by pirates, a few days
earlier. Well, he was right," he said.
On Aug 29, the tanker, with its 41 crewmen comprising 36 Malaysians and
five Filipinos, was heading towards Singapore from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, when it
was hijacked by armed pirates at the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and
Somalia.
On Aug 19, MT Bunga Melati Dua, with 39 crewmen including 29 Malaysians,
was seized by a group of armed pirates at the same waters.
Meanwhile, Nor Afandi's wife, who insisted anonymity, said she prayed for
her husband's immediate release so that they could celebrate Aidifitri together.
"The children miss him very much. If he is released before Hari Raya, it
would be a blessing for us," said the mother of four, aged between four months
and 13 years.
She said MISC telephoned her once every two days, to inform her of the
latest development.
hostage by pirates who hijacked the vessel on Aug 29.
In a telephone conversation at 6.50pm Wednesday, hostage Nor Afandi Basar,
44, did not tell his brother, Mohd Ridza, what the meal comprised of.
He said all hostages were locked up in a small room and that he was
safe.
"However, he begged MISC to speed up the negotiation process so that all
hostages could be released as soon as possible.
"My brother told me that the pirates had demanded a RM19 million ransom to
secure the release of all hostages.
"He misses the family and longs to see them...he also hopes to be released
before Aidilfitri. He said that was also the wish of the other hostages.
"Nevertheless, I could sense nervousness in my brother's voice as if he was
in fear or under duress," Mohd Ridza, 27, told Bernama here Thursday.
The siblings managed to talk for about two minutes after Nor Afandi
received
permission from the pirates to call his family. The other hostages were also
given permission to talk to their respective families.
He reiterated that on the day the vessel was hijacked, his brother was
to have sent a short messaging service (SMS) informing the family of his
voyage. However, the SMS never arrived.
"Just before his departure, he told us that he had a bad feeling,
especially after MT Bunga Melati Dua was hijacked by pirates, a few days
earlier. Well, he was right," he said.
On Aug 29, the tanker, with its 41 crewmen comprising 36 Malaysians and
five Filipinos, was heading towards Singapore from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, when it
was hijacked by armed pirates at the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and
Somalia.
On Aug 19, MT Bunga Melati Dua, with 39 crewmen including 29 Malaysians,
was seized by a group of armed pirates at the same waters.
Meanwhile, Nor Afandi's wife, who insisted anonymity, said she prayed for
her husband's immediate release so that they could celebrate Aidifitri together.
"The children miss him very much. If he is released before Hari Raya, it
would be a blessing for us," said the mother of four, aged between four months
and 13 years.
She said MISC telephoned her once every two days, to inform her of the
latest development.
