Filipino dies off Somalia, remains still with pirates

MANILA, Philippines - Pirates have refused to turn over to the Philippine government the remains of a Filipino seaman who died during a hijacking incident off Somalia last month.

Esteban Conejos Jr, undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said that according to the Somali pirates, they would only release the remains of Jason Sumagat once other crew members of the Malaysian ship MT Bunga Melati are freed.

“We have been trying to request that the body be brought back but the pirates have insisted that it has to stay. They said it will be released at the same time with the Filipinos," Conejos said, adding that the information was coursed through the ship’s manning agency, which is the one directly negotiating with the hijackers.

Sumagat’s body is stored in the ship’s freezer, according to Conejos.

The DFA said Sumagat died in an “accident" when pirates took control of the vessel last August 21.

The DFA continues to coordinate with MISC Berhad, the owner of the Malaysian ship to repatriate the sailor’s remains as well as secure the safe release of the other Filipino crew members.

Pirates are still holding 72 Filipino seamen and several other foreign crewmen on board five foreign vessels that were seized by pirates in separate hijacking incidents off the Gulf of Aden since July.

Japanese ship Stella Maris and its 20 all-Filipino crew were released last Saturday after a $2-million ransom was reportedly paid.

The following day, one of the two Malaysian vessels, the MT Bunga Melati 5, and its 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew members were also released by pirates.

Two weeks earlier, nine Filipinos and four foreign crewmen on board the BBC Trinidad, a German-owned container vessel, were also freed.

Apart from the MT Bunga Melati 2, other vessels still being held by the pirates are: the MT Irene, a Japanese-owned tanker with 16 Filipinos and four other foreign nationals; the MT Stolt Valor, a Hong Kong chemical tanker with two Filipinos and 31 other nationals; the MV Centauri, a Greek-owned tanker with a 26 all-Filipino crew; and the MV Capt. Stephanos, a Bahamas-flagged ship with 17 Filipinos and two other nationals.

The Philippines supply one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 270,000 Filipino seaman employed by foreign maritime agencies, making them the most vulnerable and prone to pirate attacks.

Manila does not directly negotiate with the hostage-takers but continues to coordinate with the transitional government of Somalia and the shipping firms to work for the immediate and safe release of the hostages. Somalia has no central government.

The Philippine government had already tied up with local manning agents in Manila to come up with a recommendation on how to prevent the further abduction of Filipino sailors.

The International Maritime Bureau has called on the United Nations to take action to secure the waters and stop the piracy menace in the Gulf of Aden.

Despite the presence of US-led coalition forces patrolling the area, pirate attacks continue in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. - GMANews.TV

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