Wednesday, October 01, 2008 9 Pinoy hostages in Somalia released
PIRATES have released nine Filipino crewmembers of a Malaysian tanker hijacked near Somalia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
Quoting a report provided by Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Victoriano Lecaros, DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said the oil tanker MV Bunga Melati 2 was freed Monday, two days after the first hijacked vessel of the Malaysian shipping line MISC was released.
"The Malaysian tanker, which was seized by Somali pirates last August 19, was freed last Monday, along with its remaining 38-man crew, including eight Filipino seamen and the remains of Filipino seaman Jayson Dumagat," Conejos said.
He identified the freed seamen as Romulo Buhayang, Ariel Buinanao Jr., Benito Adecer, Macario Pacione III, Ronan Maranan, Rading Maguan, Leo Andrew Sitjar, and Eleanor Madriga.
Conejos said all eight are in good condition.
As to Dumagat's remains, the DFA official said they are coordinating with the ship owner for the repatriation.
Earlier reports said the ship owner paid a ransom for the release of the two vessels, but declined to reveal the amount.
The two hijacked vessels have a total crew of 79 of which 14 are Filipino nationals.
Pirates hijacked the two ships last month in the Gulf of Aden, north of war-torn Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991. One Filipino crewmember died in the raid.
Malaysia has sent two warships and an offshore patrol vessel to protect its vessels near piracy-plagued Somalia.
MISC chairman Hassan Marican said the warships are expected to be based in the area for at least three months to protect Malaysian commercial ships.
Sixty-two ships were attacked in the notorious African waters this year. A total of 26 ships were hijacked of which 12 remain in the hands of the pirates along with more than 200 crewmembers.
Most pirate attacks take place in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to the north of the African country. But recently pirates have been targeting Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia.
International warships created a special security corridor under a US-led initiative to patrol the area, but attacks have not abated. (AH/Sunnex)
