Saturday, June 03, 2006
By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
Manila: The Philippine Government will begin negotiations with Somali pirates who have been holding 20 Filipino seamen for nine weeks, following reports that one of them has died, a senior official said.
“President Gloria Arroyo will do everything to get the Filipino seamen back. But we will not resort to ransom payment,” said Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor.
“We will negotiate with the hostage-takers and with any other people who could help us find out if one of the Filipino seamen had died.”
The foreign affairs department in Manila has been trying to contact the ship’s owners who have been negotiating with the hostage-takers.
“We will soon find out if one of the hostages had died,” said Ambassador Gilbert Asuque, spokesman of the foreign affairs department.
Government officials gave assurance to the relatives of the missing seamen after one seaman talked to his wife by satellite phone saying that a colleague had “accidentally” died while held hostage by the Somali pirates. The seaman, whose voice was made audible through speakers that were set up by a radio and TV station, said he could not release the name of his “unlucky” colleague.
He did not say if the Filipino seaman died of sickness or if he was slain by his abductors. All the wives cried when they heard the news.
Carmen Narciso, wife of chief engineer Perfecto Narciso who was also abducted, said that the hostage-takers have been feeding their captives once a day. The wives of the missing seamen went to TV and radio station late on Thursday night to seek assistance from President Gloria Arroyo.
Earlier, they decided to form an association so that they could take up their appeal with the authorities.
Responding to the wives, Defensor said, “We will negotiate with the hostage-takers and with other people who could help us.”
The seamen of the ship registered in the United Arab Emirates was taken hostage at a Somali port on March 29.
Source: Gulf News, June 3, 2006
