|
FRENCH
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has sought
international cooperation to address piracy and other
forms of transnational crimes in the dangerous waters of
Somalia
following the safe release of 30 seafarers, six of them
Filipinos, who were taken hostage by Somali pirates.
The six
Filipinos arrived home Wednesday after their safe
release on Friday, when the French military carried out
a raid on the luxury-cruise ship Le Ponant. The French
military had reportedly paid a ransom of $2 million but
was able to arrest the six Somali pirates and regained
the money.
Kouchner
said he was “delighted” at the outcome of the incident
that took place on April 4 when Le Ponant was cruising
the waters between Yemen and Somalia.
“My
first thoughts go to the families and loved ones of our
compatriots, and the other crew members who will soon be
with theirs,” said Kouchner in a statement issued
through the French Embassy in Manila.
“The
international community must mobilize for a determined
fight against acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off
the coast of
Somalia,”
said Kouchner.
“France,
who took the initiative for Operation Alycon to escort
WFP humanitarian ships sailing to
Somalia,
considers it necessary to go further, especially at the
United Nations. Discussions have started in New York
with our partners to move forward on this,” he said.
Foreign
Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban
Conejos Jr. welcomed the six seafarers as they arrived
at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on a
Cathay Pacific flight.
The
crewmen of the French-registered Le Ponant cruise ship
said they would likely return to their jobs.
Marisol
Abalos, 25-year-old cabin stewardess and the only
Filipina in the crew, expressed gratitude to both the
governments of France and the Philippines for quickly
resolving the case.
“In
behalf of all six of us, we thank our government, the
Philippine Embassy in France, for keeping tab on our
case, for not abandoning us, for coordinating with the
French government and our families here. We thank those
who rescued us, the two ships, because we were able to
safely come home. We also thank our families, those who
monitored our case and helped, even the media,” Abalos
said in Filipino at a press briefing at the Naia lounge.
Ship
waiter Victor Rebanal, 35, meanwhile said: “Siguro
babalik din kami gawa ng trabaho [We may have to go
back because we have to work].”
Gilbert
Glorioso, a Le Ponant waiter, narrated in part their
seven-day ordeal under the hands of 30 Somali hijackers.
“Domingo
[Barayang, the Le Ponant cook] saw an approaching
fishing boat. When it was astride our ship, it lowered
two Zodiac speedboats. He informed our ship about it and
we prepared for them. But we only had a fire hose on the
ship so we did not have a fighting chance,” he said in
Filipino.
He said
the hijackers originally asked for a $5-million ransom
for the French cruise ship and its 30 crew members.
International wire reports indicated that the French
military paid $2 million, but later regained the amount
after the arrest of six hijackers.
“But we
don’t know if the ransom was paid….We were guarded. But
they treated us well because they were only really after
the money, they did not hurt us,” said Glorioso in
Filipino.
Other
rescued Filipino seafarers are ship waiter Gary Caingat,
27; utility man Alexander Hibi, 28; and Domingo Barayang,
second cook, 35. |
