Helpless crew families seek PM's intervention
Family members of crew of hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Jahan Moni yesterday urged the prime minister to take initiatives for rescuing the sailors from the Somalia coast.
They also expressed concerns about their dear ones, who remained hostages by pirates, at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club.
In a written statement they said the pirates contacted the ship's owner company on December 12 and demanded a ransom of $ 9 million within five days.
“Otherwise they would kill the crew. But we didn't see any concrete step from the government or from the ship's operating company to rescue them,” they added.
The prime minister herself is a mother, they said, adding she would feel the pain of the mothers of those crews.
Mahfuza Khatun, wife of the third engineer Tariqul Islam, read out the written statement.
“I was married to him just one year ago,” said Mahfuza as tears rolled down her cheeks while making an appeal to the prime minister.
“My sister-in-law is on board the ship. We are very much worried as we don't know what kind of behaviour she is facing out there,” said Laila Khatun, the elder sister of Md Matiur Maola, chief engineer of the vessel.
Sharmin Akhter, wife of sailor Kibriya Ahmed, told journalists that she married Kibriya 13 months ago and they had a conjugal life of only one month.
About 10,000 Bangladeshi sailors are currently working in different ships and sending remittances of $ 34 million to the country as their monthly salary, claimed the families.
Meanwhile, Shipping Minister Sajahan Khan yesterday said the government is aware about the situation and trying to free the crew.
“The government has contacted different international agencies who can help rescuing the sailors,” added the minister.
The vessel was hijacked from the Arabian sea on December 5, 1300 nautical miles off Somali coast.
Twenty-five crew and wife of the chief engineer, all Bangladeshi nationals, are aboard.
Later the pirates took the ship to the Somali coast and allowed the crew to contact with their families and the operating company of the ship.
According to the relatives, around 30 pirates, armed with heavy weapons, were guarding the ship and confined the crew in a room of the ship.
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