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Friday, June 02, 2006
Filipino seaman held hostage in Somalia tells family of death of one captive (12:42 p.m.)
MANILA -- One of 20 Filipino seamen held hostage in Somalia for nine weeks has died in captivity, his colleague told relatives Friday, as the crewmen's families appealed for government action to secure their release.
The men were seized by Somali pirates after their oil tanker, the United Arab Emirates-registered MT LIN1, offloaded its cargo at a southern Somali port on March 29, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said.
Spokesman Gilbert Asuque said the department could not immediately confirm the reported death of one of the hostages but said the government was trying to contact the ship's owners, who have been negotiating with the hostage takers.
The owners were not identified.
One of the captives spoke with a relative in the Philippines by satellite phone, and in portions aired over radio station dzMM and ABS-CBN TV, he said one of the crewmen had died accidentally.
The hostage takers did not want the deceased man identified and the crewman gave no other details.
Wives of the crewmen appealed to the Philippine government for assistance.
Carmen Narciso, wife of chief engineer Perfecto Narciso, said Thursday that the gunmen were feeding their captives only once a day because food was scarce.
In a statement, the foreign affairs department said it realizes "the need of the ship owners to have every available time and option to resolve this dispute with the Somali group." It also warned Filipino seafarers to avoid Somali waters or trading with Somali ports "in view of the difficult security situation in that
country."
Piracy in Somalia rose sharply last year, with the number of reported incidents at 35, compared with two in 2004, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The bandits target both passenger and cargo vessels for ransom or loot. (AP) |
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