Tag: Seychelles

Filter By:

Filter

Seychelles Government Increases Efforts For Hostages Release

Efforts to secure the early release of the two Seychellois fishermen Efforts to secure the early release of the two Seychellois fishermen - Rolly Tambara and Marc Songoire - being held captive by Somali pirates received a further boost at the weekend.Minister Joel Morgan, chairman of the high-level committee on piracy accompanied by a Seychellois delegation, met the President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, his Minister for the Interior and his Ambassador for Kenya.Among the Seychellois delegation at the meeting, held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, were Ambassador Joseph Nourrice, representing Foreign Affairs and Chief Superintendent of Police, Godfra Hermitte.The meeting was sought by the government of Seychelles as efforts continue to keep up the pressure on the TFG (of Somalia) to secure the release of the two Seychellois hostages.While thanking President Sharif for the undertaking to intervene in the efforts for the release of the hostages, Mr Morgan noted that the long detention of the two elderly and sick Seychellois being kept in inhumane conditions without proper medication remains an issue of grave concern to both the government and the families of the hostages.The minister echoed the appeal made by President James Michel ...

Read more

India will work with Seychelles against piracy, terror

To ensure the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Embarking on her 10-day farewell tour to Seychelles and South Africa, President Pratibha Patil on Sunday expressed the hope that it would help improve economic and strategic relations with these two nations.Ms. Patil said the Presidents of both the countries had visited India and she was "reciprocating." On her visit to Seychelles, the President said it was of strategic importance as India and Seychelles were bound together by the waters of the Indian Ocean."We are committed to working together closely in order to ensure the safety and security of the Indian Ocean region in the face of threats of piracy and terrorism. We are determined to continue to work with the government of Seychelles to ensure a secure environment for the mutual benefit of our peoples."She said Seychelles was also in proximity to lanes from where global trade took place. Since there was the menace of piracy and terror, India was cooperating with it in tackling them. A business delegation is accompanying the President to promote trade with the island nation.President of Seychelles James Alix Michel will be receiving Ms. Patil, who is scheduled to attend a meeting of the ...

Read more

Seychelles to Prosecute 4 Pirates Held on Danish Warship

The agreement marks the second time that the Seychelles has agreed to prosecute pirates Denmark has reached an agreement with the Seychelles to prosecute four pirates held on board a Danish warship, Denmark's foreign ministry said.A total 16 suspected pirates were detained by the warship Absalon, which is part of a NATO-led anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, following an action on a pirate mother ship off the coast of Somalia on April 11."I am very glad that Denmark was able to put 16 pirates out of action and that with the current agreement with Seychelles, we are fortunate to ensure that four of the ringleaders will now be prosecuted," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal said in a statement on Sunday.The agreement marks the second time that the Seychelles has agreed to prosecute suspected pirates detained by Danish warships."With the transfer to the Seychelles, we have shown again that Denmark and the international community's efforts in the Horn of Africa do work and do make a significant difference," Soevndal said.The transfer of the four suspects took place on Sunday, while the remaining 12 are still detained on board the Absalon. The Danish authorities will determine if they too can ...

Read more

Seychelles Hands Over Pirates

17 Somali Pirates Transferred to Somaliland Authorities The Seychellois government transferred 17 convicted Somali pirates to the breakaway region of Somaliland on Wednesday, following an agreement at the London Conference on Somalia between President James Michel and Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, according to Somaliland and Seychellois officials. The 17 pirates, aged 17 to 60 years, were flown to Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, on Wednesday and handed over to local authorities. The pirates had been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 24 years in Seychellois courts, according to a government press release.Well-armed Somaliland security forces met the pirates at Hargeisa airport and transported them in a large convoy. According to Somaliland Minister of Justice Hussein Ahmed Caydiid, who spoke to reporters in Hargeisa, nine pirates had already been transferred to prison facilities with the aid of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)."They will not see any court in Somaliland. They have been sentenced in the Seychelles, and will simply serve out the sentences handed down to them in Somaliland's prisons," he told Somalia Report."They are Somali and their families will be able to visit them here," he added.The transfer was made possible by a "pirate prison" rehabilitated ...

Read more

Overrun by pirate prisoners, Seychelles call for help

Seychelles coast guard by itself cannot make the waters safe As naval forces tighten the noose around Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, the idyllic Seychelles archipelago has been overrun with convicted brigands and is calling for international support.The small island state, with its crystal waters and pristine beaches, lies in an area of the Indian Ocean notorious for piracy and the coast guard has been working flat out to protect ships which are coming under attack."The Seychelles coast guard by itself cannot make the waters safe, we need to combine forces. If we manage to bring everybody on board I think our fight against piracy will be simpler," coast guard chief Georges Adeline told AFP."We really need our international partners to help out," he said.At a conference on Somalia in London last month, world leaders said they wanted to end the practice of pirates being captured and then released, but the Seychelles have been shouldering the burden of prosecuting and imprisoning them."It's such a small state, it's really punching above its weight in the fight on piracy," said Matthew Forbes, the British high commissioner to the Seychelles."The UK and other international navies are helping scour the area for pirates, ...

Read more

Stricken cruise ship Costa Allegra docks in Seychelles

Evacuation of more than 1,000 passengers on board the ship has begun The stricken Italian cruise vessel Costa Allegra has docked in the Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles.The ship was towed into the main port, Victoria, by a French fishing boat.The evacuation of more than 1,000 passengers on board the ship has begun. The process is expected to take several hours.The ship, which lost power on Monday, is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.One passenger described the experience as "a rough ride"."We had to sleep on deck because there was no air conditioning and the cabins stank, because we couldn't flush the toilets," Alena Daem, a 62-year-old passenger from Belgium, told the AFP news agency.According to Costa Cruises, more than half the passengers from the Costa Allegra will remain in the Seychelles to continue their holiday, reports the BBC's Katy Watson on Mahe, the Seychelles' main island.The rest will fly to Rome on three planes chartered by the company to get them back home on Thursday and Friday, our correspondent says.Passengers who are in the weakest medical condition are being brought off first.Those on board have spent ...

Read more
Page 4 of 6 1 3 4 5 6