Pirates make phone threats to hostages’ families as ransom unpaid
Their telephones ring day and night, with Somali pirates on the other end threatening to beat their loved ones, force them to stand in the sun and go without food.Incessant and increasing numbers of phone calls have alarmed the wives, children, cousins and other relatives of the 22 hostages on board the MV Albedo with continuous demands for ransom."They put pressure on me every other day and ask when the money is being dropped," said Shahnaz Jawaid, the wife of the ship's captain, Jawaid Khan. "They are calling families who never received phone calls in all these months."We are all totally tired. I'm so tired mentally, but I try to calm them and convince them that everything will be resolved soon. They are impatient and in a hurry to get the money."Two security teams from Malaysia and a Pakistani citizens' committee are involved in talks with the pirates and hope to resolve the dispute by next month.They will also handle the payment of US$2.85million (Dh10.4m) to the Somali raiders who hijacked the cargo ship.The vessel was taken in November 2010 in the Gulf of Aden after leaving Jebel Ali for Kenya.Seven Pakistanis, seven Bangladeshi, six Sri Lankans, an Indian and ...
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