Couple Asleep as Pirates Stormed Yacht

Somali Pirates Now Holding Vacationing British Couple on Container Ship; Yacht Sent Distress Signal Last Friday

(AP)  A British man kidnapped by Somali pirates while vacationing on a yacht with his wife said in an interview released Thursday that the sea bandits had crept aboard with guns while he was asleep and demanded money.

Paul Chandler told Britain's ITV News that he and his wife were being held aboard a container ship anchored about a mile from the Somali coast.

Read the couple's travel blog

"They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," Chandler said in the interview, before the connection was lost.

Chandler later told the BBC in a telephone interview broadcast Thursday that he is being treated well by his captors.

"We are well, and being looked after OK," Chandler said in a telephone interview with the BBC's Somali Service. "Food is OK," he said.

When asked whether he had a message for British officials, he said there was "nothing I can say."

A fisherman told The Associated Press he saw two boats carrying eight pirates and a white couple that had arrived in the village of Ceel Huur.

Dahir Dabadhahan said a convoy of around 30 other pirates in six luxury vehicles met the group in front of fishermen preparing their boats of the day, he said.

"The pirates opened fire into the air, waving us to move away," he said.

Ceel Huur is just north of a notorious pirate stronghold in the town of Haradhere.

Earlier Thursday, the British navy had found the couple's empty yacht in international waters. Warships have been searching for Paul and Rachel Chandler since their yacht, the Lynn Rival, sent out a distress signal last Friday.

Relatives of the British couple pleaded for their release and said the pirates had targeted the wrong people.

"They are not a wealthy couple. They just wanted to take early retirement, to take a boat and to see more of the world," said Paul Chandler's sister, Jill Marshment, 69, of Bredon.

The couple, who have been married for 28 years, took early retirement about three years ago and have spent several six-month spells at sea. Their voyages - which have taken them to the Greek islands, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Oman, Yemen, India, the Maldives and the Seychelles - have been chronicled on a blog.

According to a blog entry on Oct. 21, the couple planned to set sail the next day and be at sea for eight to 12 days, heading south toward Tanzania.

"We probably won't have satellite phone coverage until we're fairly close to the African coast, so we may be out of touch for some time," they wrote.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion dollar ransoms the pirates collect are a strong lure for young gunmen in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.

The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region.

Also Thursday, pirates hijacked a Thai fishing vessel north of the Seychelles islands, the European Union Naval Force said.

The Thai Union 3 reported it was under attack by pirates in two skiffs 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of the Seychelles and 650 miles (1050 kilometers) off the Somali coast, according to a press release issued by the headquarters for the EU's Operation Atalanta.

A naval aircraft sent to the scene saw pirates aboard the vessel and two skiffs tied up behind it. The EU force said the ship is now heading toward Somalia.

The latest seizure means pirates are now holding a total of eight ships, four of which were seized in the past two weeks.

[afmcalax]

The bottom line is that each and every pirate mother ship and skiff should be shot out of the water. Their ports should be destroyed and the war lords that fund the pirates eliminated. All their fancy compounds funded by the ransoms should be bombed and destroyed. No troops needed just a Navy with orders to shoot to kill and an air force that will continue bombing runs until they are eliminated. The solution is not that hard. It only takes a backbone.

[brianbwb-2009]

Well, that would take care of a large part of the US Navy, as we are the largest and most deadly group of pirates going nowadays, but who would bomb the bases?

[ToolMangler1]

by brianbwb-2009 October 30, 2009 10:24 AM EDT



Almost every post you make has a backstab against America in it and/or a statement of tacit or complete support for the Attackers or whomever we are fighting at the time (Pirates, in this case). Why do you continue to live in acountry that you so "Obviously" despise or hate. I wish no pain on you or anybody, so please do me a favor and leave this
'this hated' place....

[ianlou]

The Somali Government better do something about these Pirates.
Otherwise their tourism business may suffer.

[Ms_enza]

You're kidding, right?

Good one.

[ianlou]

by Ms_enza October 30, 2009 9:39 AM EDT
You're kidding, right?

Good one.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Ah, There's no place more beutiful than Mogadishu when the marigolds are in bloom.

[Hosheen]

The problem is, piracy is profitable. If there were never any negotiation with pirates and they were killed out of hand, as the British Navy used to do, it would be far less attractive. I say, bomb the crap out of every known pirate base and make their lives so dangerous and miserable that they look elsewhere.

[Hosheen]

The problem is, piracy is profitable. If there were never any negotiation with pirates and they were killed out of hand, as the British Navy used to do, it would be far less attractive. I say, bomb the crap out of every known pirate base and make their lives so dangerous and miserable that they look elsewhere.

[longtree-2009]

idiots. what were they doing in pirate infested waters, makes no sense. it is like walking into a city neighborhood where a violent street gang is known to operate its criminality.

[patjeanes]

Pat Jeanes: Memphis 8/29/09 As many as a dozen countries have countrymen being held hostage.It would be very beneficial if unmarked craft are sent into the region fully armed and remove the Somalian pirates out of the equations. Their mistakes were even to make a fatal attempt unknown to them it was a british warship.

America seems to always have Amnesia to world problems as this month in 1993 several American soldiers were killed and dragged through the streets on televison. Wake up America we have enemies,and I hope our leaders dont make appoligies either.

Somalia has been a rouge country for many years now and should be on the UN,s list of countries with embargos. Disguised Us warships should enter the channel and resolve all of the hostage takeing that has been going on over the years. Huge companies with freighters pay the ransom and it has become finacially feasable to remedy the situation. Is the world turning a blind eye to these warlords.

[bubbadubba]

Reminds me of what people say after they have a bunch of one night stands and get AIDS "how could this happen"? Why did this happen to me?"
So what were they doing in know pirate waters?
Could they be in on the scam and going to split the ransom money with the Pirates?

[fedup12]

But there is a good point here. I mean jeez go park your boat off the coast of the Bahamas and NOT near Somalia.

[us_1776]

These lawless land areas are breeding grounds for criminals and terrorists. The whole world has an interest in seeing that there are functioning governments setup in these areas. Otherwise terrorists and pirates and criminals will terrorize the whole world.

[brianbwb-2009]

US_1776

Good idea, the only problem is that the European and American influenced countries always try to enslave the people, and steal their resources, rather than help them form viable governments.

[GTR5]

These people must be total morons for sailing in this area. HELLO, there are pirates in this area.

[brianbwb-2009]

PVperson2

That would leave approximately 139,000,000 square miles of other places they could have chosen to sail.