Four Indonesian Seamen Return Home After Being Held by Somali Pirates for Over Five Months
Four Indonesian seamen, who were held captive by Somali pirates on an oil tanker for more than five months, returned to Indonesia on Tuesday. They were part of a group of 17 crew members rescued last week after maritime police from Puntland, northern Somalia, boarded the hijacked Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker in April. A Puntland police statement indicated that five crew members had been killed by the pirates before the vessel was recovered.
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Based on reporting by South China Morning Post:
According to a report by Agence France-Presse, four Indonesian seamen who were held hostage by Somali pirates aboard an oil tanker for upwards of five months arrived back in their home country on Tuesday.
These men were among the 17 crew members who were rescued a week prior when maritime police from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia took control of the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker, which had been hijacked in April.
A statement released by Puntland police indicated that the pirates had killed five crew members before the ship could be recaptured; these deceased included three nationals from Pakistan, one from India, and one from Myanmar.
The four Indonesian individuals were met at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by their families and officials, which included Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir.
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