Release of the Longest Held Hostages in Somalia’s History
Taken hostage at sea by Somali pirates on the 18 April 2010, the four remaining crewman of the FV Prantalay 12 vessel were finally released on 25 February by their captors into the hands of the Somali Regional Administration in Galmudug.
Crew of the FV Prantalay 12 about to board a UN aircraft having been recovered from Somalia
after being released by Somali Pirates to the UNODC Hostage Support Programme. Photo: UNODC HSP
This is the longest period of captivity by any hostages of Somali pirates.
The crew, all Thai nationals, are currently being repatriated by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Hostage Support Programme.
During their captivity, the hostages were sustained by support, including private medical visits and food, from the UNODC Hostage Support Programme, funded by private donations from Oceans Beyond Piracy, a private foundation, and working in conjunction with Royal Thai Embassy in Nairobi.
Negotiations for the release of the crew were conducted for a private charity with the support of Holman Fenwick Willan, a London Law Firm specialising in this work, and a Kidnap and Ransom negotiator from Compass Risk Management- all working pro bono.
Today’s rescue mission to recover the hostages was conducted by the UNODC, funded by the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia’s Trust Fund. The plane with UNODC officers on board flew into South Galkayo and successfully retrieved the four hostages.
The FV Prantalay 12 was a Taiwanese flagged fishing vessel. After being seized by the pirates in 2010 it was used by the pirates as a mother ship, before it eventually capsized in July 2011. The remaining crew were then taken ashore.
Of the original 24 crew members, six succumbed to illness at various stages of captivity, and 14 Mynamar crew members were released to the Puntland Maritime Police authorities. They were repatriated by the UNODC’s Hostage Support Programme in May of 2011.
While this is indeed good news, many more hostages remain in the hands of Somali pirates. 26 further hostages are currently being held, abducted from the FV Naham 3. The UNODC Hostage Support Programme is also supporting these victims in similar ways such as contact, proof of life and occasional medical visits funded by the Oceans Beyond Piracy.
“We are extremely relieved to have obtained the release of these four Thai hostages, but let’s not forget the remaining 26 Asian crewman still being held in Somalia. They need to be returned home to their families. We are striving to make that happen,” said John Steed, Head of the UNODC’s Hostage Support
Programme. He added “I am hugely grateful to the Galmudug state officials who conducted this mission yesterday. They put their lives at risk to bring these poor crewman home after nearly five long years”.
The United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, said today “I am grateful to see the longest held hostages released from Somalia, and thank all those involved who made it happen, especially the regional authorities in Galmudug”.
Source: UNODC Press Release
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