Sri Lankan government taking measures to save six fishermen abducted by Somali pirates

Feb 03, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Fisheries Rajitha Senaratne says his Ministry is working with an unnamed Somali person to save the six Sri Lankan fishermen who have been held for ransom by the Somali sea pirates.

The group of six fishermen have left Negombo harbor six months ago and they were abducted by the Somali pirates as they had trespassed into Somalia territorial waters.

The pirates have asked for a ransom of US$ 6 million to release the fishermen and they have vowed to kill the fishermen unless the money was not given to them by today.

The owner of the multi-day vessel seized by the pirates said that the agents of the pirates phoned to him from Malaysia.

Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of State Resources and Enterprise Development Sarath Kumara Gunaratna has called upon international powers to intervene to secure the fishermen’s release, BBC reported.

In January last year Somali pirates killed two Sri Lankan fishermen and took another three as hostages after their vessel got lost in the Indian Ocean.

Minister Senaratne has said that those fishermen were rescued through a Somali intermediary and this time also the same procedure will be followed.

colombopage.com