The seven Bangladeshi sailors released on June 7 from the Somali pirates’ captivity returned home yesterday after years of excruciating tortures.
“The pirates threatened to kill us, saying the Pakistani abductees were ransomed by their family for1million dollar. Why cannot you do that?” said Aminul Islam, one of the seven Bangladeshi sailors held captive by the Somali sea robbers.
Aminul was talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday in front of hotel Marino in the capital’s Uttara.
“We had 11 containers of rice on the ship and we cooked rice and ate that, sometimes with boiled potatoes, but we were given polluted water,” the captive sailor said, while narrating his terrifying ordeal.
The seafarer said two years and a half after their captivity the pirates took them to a Somali village called “Amara” and from there to a nearby jungle with their hands and legs tied.
They used to beat us only for ransom, added Aminul.
Asked how heobtained his release and who negotiated the deal, the sailor failed to provide any outline.
“I cannot tell you anything about that,” Aminul said while his voice trailed off.
All seven sailors echoed the same sentiment while narrating their harrowing ordeal in the pirates’ captivity.
Another hostage Limon Sarker said: “We were in great hardship. The pirates always pressed us for ransom.”
A resident of Chandpur district, Limon was talking to the Dhaka Tribune at the Dhaka airport.
The other Bangladeshis released were Golam Mostafa, Habibur Rahman, Zakir Hossain, Abul Quasem Sardarand Nurul Haque, all flown to Dhaka yesterday by a flight on Emirates Airlines.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam received the crew members at the airport.
After the reception, the shipping minister hailed the rescue of seven sailors as a matter of pride.
Foreign Ministry Secretary (maritime unit) Khurshid Alam said: “We tried our best and in cooperation with different organisations we have been able to rescue our crewmen.”
Chirag Bari – regional director of Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme – said: “We had been in contact with the families of crew members and helped them always. We will continue to help till the crew is rehabilitated.”
He maintained that the mental health of the sailors and their family members was not sound at the moment, and so there would be a press conference later on Friday at 5pm at hotel Marino in the capital’s Uttara.
On November 26, 2010, Somali pirates abducted seven Bangladeshi sailorsfrom a Malaysian flag-carrying merchant ship MV Albedo on the high seas of the Indian Ocean. l
After their release, the crew members were taken to Nairobi where the Bangladesh High Commission arranged their accommodation, medical checkup and travel to Bangladesh.
After a long persuasion by the government and relevant international organisations, the Bangladeshi crew members were released from their captors.
The Government of Bangladesh deeply appreciates the role of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the London-based Maritime Piracy and Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) for their continuous support and assistance in the release of the seven abducted Bangladeshi crew members.
In a report, The Telegraph of Britain, however, said six Bangladeshis, three Sri Lankans and an Iranian and an Indian were among the 11 crew released.
The UNODC authority and Bangladesh High Commission received the crew in Kenya’s capital Nairobi where they underwent medical checkup at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.
During the hijack, one crewman was shot dead by the pirates in an apparent fit of anger after negotiations with the shipowners failed.
Last summer, the vessel capsized in a storm, resulting in the deaths of five crewmen and five pirates as they left the ship and were trying to swim ashore.
The capsize of MV Albedo on July 7, 2013 was attributed to the lack of usual maintanance.
Following the capsize, the abducted crewmen were shifted to another hijacked fishing vessel.