Somali Pirates Reduce Ransom Demand for Asian Fishermen

Mohamed Olad Hassan:

Somali pirates holding 48 Asian fishermen and their three vessels hostage have sharply reduced their ransom demand during government-brokered negotiations, a Somali human rights activist said Tuesday.

The gunmen originally demanded $500,000 for each boat and its crew, but later cut the demand to $50,000 apiece during talks with the Malaysian agent for the Taiwanese trawlers, said Ali Bashi, chairman of the Fanole Human Rights Center.

The hostages, who have been held by the pirates near the southern Somali port of Kismayo since Aug. 15, include three Taiwanese captains and 45 crew members from Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Somali Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullahi Sheik Ishmail acknowledged that negotiating ransom could damage the country's already poor international image, but said officials had to act to ensure the safety of foreign hostages.

Piracy is common along the coast of this chaotic country. Several ships a month are attacked or hijacked, with valuables stolen and crews held for ransom. The MV Semlow, a ship carrying World Food Program supplies to Somali victims of last December's tsunami, has been held by gunmen since late June.

Hat tip, Fjordman

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