Saturday, August 30, 2008 DFA confirms death of Pinoy seaman in Somalia
A FILIPINO seaman working in one of the hijacked ships off the coast of Somalia was confirmed dead by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last Friday.
Esteban Conejos Jr., DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the body of the victim, identified as Jayson Dumagat, working as able seaman, died in an accident when the Somali pirates boarded their vessel last August 21.
No other detail was given as regards the nature of the accident as authorities failed to establish communications with any of the crewmen or the pirates.
The confirmation was made following verifications with MISC Bhd, owner of the Malaysian palm oil tanker, MT Bunga Melati 2.
According to Conejos, the DFA is coordinating with the ship owner for the repatriation of Dumagat’s body.
“The DFA is coordinating with the ship owner on efforts to repatriate the sailor’s remains and secure the safe release of the other crew members,” he added.
According to him, if the ships are released, the Philippine Embassy in Kenya, which has jurisdiction over Somalia, will take care of the Filipino seaman's body before being repatriated back to Manila.
When asked if the terms in the negotiations have changed between the ship owners and the kidnappers following the death of the Filipino, Conejos said talks between the two sides remain unchanged.
Aside from the Malaysian palm oil tanker, pirates also hijacked three other vessels in the Gulf of Aden last week — an Iranian bulk carrier with 29 crewmen, a Japanese-operated chemical tanker with 19 crewmen, and a German-operated cargo ship with nine crewmen.
Following the surge in attacks, the US Naval Central Command (Centcom) has said it will establish a permanent Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden. Coalition navy warships and aircraft will patrol the area under a commander from the Royal Canadian Navy.
Meanwhile, Conejos said the DFA is planning to review the existing contracts of Filipino seafarers and disallow them from boarding ships that pass through “pirate-prone" areas in the wake of these recent incidents. (AH/ECV/Sunnex)
