One Taiwanese and eight Chinese fishermen rescued from Somali pirates arrive in Guangzhou
Record ID:
83839
One Taiwanese and eight Chinese fishermen rescued from Somali pirates arrive in Guangzhou
- Title: One Taiwanese and eight Chinese fishermen rescued from Somali pirates arrive in Guangzhou
- Date: 25th October 2016
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 25, 2016) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN LU KANG WALKING TO PODIUM JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, LU KANG, SAYING: "According to our recent knowledge of the matter, there are ten Chinese compatriots, nine of whom are mainlanders and one Taiwanese. Nine of them have already arrived in Guangzhou this morning. One compatriot, due to health issues, needs further medical assistance and is staying in (Nairobi). When his condition stabilises then we will quickly organise a work group from the Foreign Ministry to accompany him in his return to his homeland." PEOPLE WALKING BY EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE FLAG
- Embargoed: 9th November 2016 10:54
- Keywords: China fishermen pirates Somalia freed
- Location: GUANGZHOU, GUANGDONG PROVINCE/BEIJING, CHINA
- City: GUANGZHOU, GUANGDONG PROVINCE/BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVA00255I5AV9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
One Taiwanese and eight Chinese fishermen who were held captive by Somali pirates for over four years arrived in Guangzhou on Tuesday (October 25), China's foreign ministry said.
Somali government officials said that 26 Asian sailors were freed by Somali pirates on Saturday (October 22).
The sailors from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan were seized when the Omani-flagged FV Naham 3 was hijacked close to the Seychelles in March 2012, when pirate attacks were common in the area.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed the eight Chinese and one Taiwanese being welcomed by local officials in Guangzhou early on Tuesday morning.
"As soon as we were released from the pirates, we were very moved. It was just like being reborn," one Chinese fisherman, surnamed Zhang, told CCTV.
CCTV said the eight sailors would soon return to their homes.
The surviving crew of the hijacked fishing boat arrived in Nairobi on Sunday (October 23). Of the original crew, one Chinese and one Taiwanese were killed.
Shen Jui-chang, the surviving Taiwanese fisherman, was greeted by his wife and daughter in Guangzhou on Tuesday, Taiwanese media reported. Sheng is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Wednesday (October 26).
China's Foreign Ministry said that one surviving Chinese crew member still remains in Nairobi.
"According to our recent knowledge of the matter, there are ten Chinese compatriots, nine of whom are mainlanders and one Taiwanese. Nine of them have already arrived in Guangzhou this morning. One compatriot, due to health issues, needs further medical assistance and is staying in (Nairobi). When his condition stabilises then we will quickly organise a work group from the Foreign Ministry to accompany him in his return to his homeland," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media in Beijing on Tuesday.
The period of captivity of the sailors is one of the longest among hostages seized by pirates in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.
The Oceans Beyond Piracy group said the crew members were brought ashore by pirates when their ship sank more than a year after its hijacking.
Piracy off Somalia's coast has subsided in the past three years, mainly due to shipping firms hiring private security staff, and the presence of international warships.
The wave of attacks had cost the world's shipping industry billions of dollars as pirates paralysed shipping lanes, kidnapped hundreds of seafarers and seized vessels more than 1,000 miles from Somalia's coastline. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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