Seven Indian sailors, who have been held hostage by Somali pirates for the last two years, have appealed to the PM, the President, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and opposition leader Sushma Swaraj seeking their help.
The sailors have narrated their ordeal in a video message uploaded on YouTube and have sought immediate intervention of the government. "Our condition is very bad. I don't know what action the government is taking. We have been here for a very long time now. We are fed up and mentally tensed. Our health is not good. So we are requesting the honourable President of India, honourable Prime Minister, UPA President Mrs Sonia Gandhi and opposition leader Mrs Sushma Swaraj to please save us. Save our life. We want our release. Please help us," appeals a sailor, Bahadur Singh, in the message.
The video was
reportedly uploaded on the web 45 days ago, but was accessed by the family of
one of the hostages yesterday. One of the sailors,
the vessel's Second Officer Bhaskaran Nair Unnikrishnan, is reportedly a
diabetic patient and is said to be in urgent need of medicines. The sailors were
taken hostage on September 28, 2010 when their ship, MT Asphalt, was hijacked
by Somali pirates. The vessel and eight of its crew members were released on
April 15, 2011 after the intervention of the Mumbai-based shipping company. But
these seven sailors were held back as hostages. The hijackers have
demanded that the Indian government release 100 Somali pirates in exchange for
the release of these seven sailors. But sources say the government is unwilling
to release them.
The Director
General of shipping has reportedly time and again written to the owners of the
ship asking them to negotiate with the pirates. But the shipping company is
reportedly unwilling to intervene in the matter as its ship has been released,
sources said. This is said to be causing a delay in solving the issue. At least two of
these sailors are from Kerala. The state government has said it had brought up
the condition of these hostages at a high-level meeting with the Centre.
Sources say that the government of India has assured that the families of the
hostages will be paid salaries.
A total of 43
Indians are currently in the custody of Somali pirates. Of these, 15 have spent
over two years as hostages.