Jakarta Globe, April 04, 2010
The nation’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed on Sunday that 12 Indonesians were among those aboard a Taiwanese fishing boat that has been seized by Somali pirates.
Teguh Wardoyo, director of the Foreign Ministry’s citizens’ protection unit, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday that “the Taiwan boat Jih Chun Tsai 68, whose crew includes 12 Indonesians, was seized on April 2.”
The deep-sea tuna trawler had a Taiwanese captain at the helm and also had two Chinese on the crew. The vessel was attacked by Somali pirates on Wednesday along with another Taiwanese fishing boat, the Jui Man Fa, which managed to escape.
In recent years, five Taiwanese fishing trawlers have been seized by Somali pirates. They were released after the ship owners paid ransoms.
Taiwan on Friday confirmed the news and said the boat was being towed toward Somalia.
“Our embassy in Nairobi has been informed and is working to find out their condition and the ship’s position," Teguh said.
“Our representative office in South Africa has contacted the missing fishing trawler, the Jih Chun Tsai 68,” Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Henry Chen said. “Captain Wu Yu-lai said the boat was seized by Somali pirates and was being towed to Somalia, but the crew was safe.”
Taiwan has contacted several international and national maritime organizations to “seek help to rescue the Jih Chun Tsai,” he added.
Taiwan has warned its fishing boats and cargo ships to stay away from the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden.
A number of Indonesian sailors have also been held by pirates in recent attacks. On Jan. 1, Somali pirates seized the MV Pramoni, a Singapore-flagged chemical tanker, with 17 Indonesian crew members aboard.
The ship was released after its owners reportedly paid an undisclosed ransom toward the end of February.
The cash was bundled in a waterproof container, attached to a parachute and pushed out the back of a small plane, a common way of delivering the multimillion-dollar ransoms demanded by the pirates.
JG, DPA
