A worthy cause

Tuesday, 7 August 2012 01:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Family members of six Sri Lankan sailors who are still being held hostage aboard the MV Albedo launched a nationwide appeal on Monday in a bid to raise enough money to free their loved ones as the Government has made no attempt to assist them.

The sailors are among 15 crew still being held captive by Somali pirates on the hijacked ship, after seven Pakistani crew were freed last week. The pirates released the Pakistanis in exchange for a US$ 1.1 million ransom raised by Pakistani relatives and businessmen. The amount was part of a total $ 2.85m ransom that the pirates had demanded. They have refused to release all the sailors until their demands are met.

The hostages have been aboard the Malaysian-flagged cargo vessel since November 2010, when it was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden after leaving Jebel Ali port for Kenya. Among the sailors still held captive are seven Bangladeshis, six Sri Lankans, an Indian and an Iranian. One Indian sailor was shot dead by pirates last year in an effort to pressure the Iranian owner to pay.

The Sri Lankan fund-raising drive aiming to raise $ 1 m began in Colombo with a media conference attended by relatives of the six Sri Lankan hostages. Worries about the safety of the remaining hijacked crew resurfaced after news spread about the brutality suffered by the freed Pakistani sailors.

Many of the Sri Lankan family members fear that continued delay reduces the chance of seeing their loved ones return as the brutal treatment is wearing down their condition. One daughter detailed how her father had called his wife and begged them to seek assistance from the Government, even go so far as to appeal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, but there has been no positive response from the authorities.

The families also insist that the continued apathy of the Government has discouraged them and motivated them to consider appealing to the people for help. Yet the task is a tough one given the large amount of money that should be raised. It is the last ditch effort by a group of people driven to desperation.

It is understood that paying out US$ 1 million is a large amount of money but the Sri Lankan Government has been credited with wasting more public funds than this ransom and it has not been given the chance to save the lives of six citizens. Surely it is the responsibility of the Government to at least promote the initiative and contribute as much as it can – monetarily and otherwise.

Despite platitudes paid to migrant workers, when the time comes to show their solidarity, the Government has to do more. This particular situation has been stagnant since 2010 and these families have had enough. The Somali pirate issue is a deep and complicated one with even more powerful nations unable to resolve it. However this is not about fishing for excuses but saving six suffering lives.

It can only be hoped that the people of this country hear their cry and come to their aid.