In recent years, Somali pirates have carried out hundreds of attacks Saturday, June 25, 2011
Freed Indian sailors finally home
In recent years, Somali pirates have carried out hundreds of attacks Six Indian sailors, who were freed by Somali pirates recently after nearly 11 months in captivity, have arrived in the capital, Delhi.
The men were part of the 22-member crew of the Panama-flagged MV Suez cargo ship. The vessel was hijacked on 2 August last year.
Family members greeted the sailors as they arrived at the international airport in Delhi.
The hostages were released after $2.1m (£1.3m) was paid in ransom.
The negotiations with the pirates were carried out by Ansar Burney, a Pakistani human rights activist.
Mr Burney launched a fund-raising campaign for the release of the crew which included four Pakistanis.
The sailors arrived in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Thursday from where they were flown to Delhi on Friday morning.
Shamsher Singh, father of sailor Satnam Singh, was quoted by news agency Press Trust of India as saying that he had lost hope for the return of his son.
"I had lost hope completely. But after I spoke to Ansar Burney in April, my hope was rekindled," he said.
The family members of the sailors have criticised the Indian government for doing little to secure their release.
MV Suez, which had crew from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, came under small arms fire while sailing in a recommended shipping lane in the Gulf of Aden last August.
In recent years, Somali pirates have extended their reach further from the shores of East Africa and carried out hundreds of hijackings.
Somalia has had no functioning central government since 1991, allowing piracy to flourish off its coast.
Warships from around the world are patrolling the Indian Ocean in a bid to deter pirate attacks.
In February, a group of 28 suspected Somali pirates captured in the Indian Ocean were handed over to the Indian police.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-13899556
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