A 4,500-ton South Korean destroyer was proceeding toward a Korean commercial vessel apparently hijacked by the Somali pirates Sunday, as the Seoul government remained firm against holding direct negotiations or paying ransom for the 21 crew members.
The 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry freighter, carrying eight South Koreans, is believed to have been seized Saturday in the waters between Oman and India while en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates.
The vessel, belonging to Samho Shipping Co., was also carrying two Indonesians and 11 others from Myanmar, all of whom have been confirmed safe, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
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| (AP) |
After being briefed about the situation, President Lee Myung-bak called on his government to “make the utmost effort in having the crew return home safely,” presidential secretary Hong Sang-pyo told reporters.
Having confirmed the location and the safety of the crew members, the Foreign Ministry here said it will “not get dragged into” the psychological warfare often launched by the Somali pirates.
“We are working together with our Cheonghae Unit to locate the ship on a real time basis,” a ministry official said. “The government remains firm not to directly negotiate with the pirates or pay ransom.”
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| Samho Jewelry freighter (Yonhap News) |
Task forces have been set up in the Foreign Ministry and the South Korean Embassy in Kenya to tackle the kidnapping.
South Korea’s 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young, which belongs to the Cheonghae Unit, was moving toward the hijacked freighter and is expected to reach it in two days, according to other government sources here.
The Cheonghae Unit, with some 300 troops and a destroyer, has been in charge of patrolling the pirate-infested waters off Somalia, since its deployment in early 2009 under a U.S.-led multinational campaign.
The Samho shipping firm, based in the southern port city of Busan, had seen another of its vessels, Samho Dream, released in November after being held hostage by Somali pirates for more than 200 days. Although it has not officially revealed the exact ransom, the company is said to have paid some $9 million to have the 300,000-ton tanker released.
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| South Korea’s 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young (Yonhap News) |
The recent hijacking comes as two South Koreans continue to be held captive by Somali pirates after their 241-ton ship Geummi 305 was kidnapped in October in the waters off Kenya’s Lamu Island.
