Pirates want $7m ransom
2009-10-31 08:04
Mogadishu, Somalia - The BBC said that Somali pirates called the broadcaster to demand $7m for the release of a British couple whose yacht was hijacked off the coast of Africa.
The British broadcaster cited an unidentified caller on Friday as saying the size of the ransom was justified because Nato forces in the area had arrested Somali fishermen and destroyed their equipment.
"If they do not harm us, we will not harm them," the BBC quoted the caller as saying. "We only need a little amount of $7m."
Paul and Rachel Chandler were headed to Tanzania in their boat, the Lynn Rival, when a distress signal was sent October 23. The British navy found their empty yacht on Thursday, and both have been in sporadic contact with the British media since.
Rachel Chandler told her brother, Stephen Collett, in a telephone call broadcast by ITV News on Friday that the couple were "bearing up."
"They tell us that we're safe and we shouldn't worry and that if we want anything they will provide it in terms of food and water and everything like that," she said, according to a transcript. "They are very hospitable people so don't worry ... Physically we're fine, physically we're healthy."
Earlier on Friday, a Somali pirate claiming to speak on behalf of the group holding the couple said they planned to move them to another hijacked ship with other hostages anchored off the eastern coast of Somalia.
Abdinor, who identified himself only by his first name, said the Chandlers were healthy and his group took them to rest on land on Thursday night at the coastal town of Harardhere. He said at the time they had not yet made a ransom demand.
The BBC reported that the pirates discussed for several hours how much money to ask for in return for the pair.
Leah Mickleborough, the couple's niece, said the family had been unaware of the ransom request before they saw it on the BBC.
"We had no idea what the figure would be. We have seen the report on the BBC and we will look into it," she said.
Britain's Foreign Office said it was aware of the report but did not immediately provide any further details.
British officials held a meeting on the hostage situation on Friday in the government's crisis briefing room, known as Cobra. The Foreign Office said a team from across several government departments was involved.
Both the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence declined to comment on whether any potential rescue was under consideration.
Over the past two years, France and the US have used military force to rescue hostages from Somali pirates but all cases have involved small vessels - either sailboats or a lifeboat.
Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion-dollar ransoms the pirates regularly collect are a strong lure for young gunmen in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.
- SAPA