Pirates Moving British Couple to New Ship

Somali Pirate Claims Couple is Healthy; No Ransom Demanded Yet

(AP)  A Somali pirate claiming to speak on behalf of a group holding a British couple says they will move the couple to another hijacked ship with other hostages anchored off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Abdinor, who identified himself only by his first name, says Paul and Rachel Chandler are healthy and Somali pirates took them to rest on land Thursday night at the coastal town of Harardhere.

He said Friday they have yet to make a ransom demand.

The Chandlers were heading to Tanzania in their yacht, the Lynn Rival, when a distress signal was sent Oct. 23. The British navy found their empty yacht on Thursday.

Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for 18 years, became the world's top piracy hotspot last year.

Read the couple's travel blog

"They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," Paul Chandler said in an 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 north of the Seychelles and 650 miles 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.

[mick7744]

Since the British Government has rejected a huge ransom demand, I'm hoping that we shall soon see an appearence by the SAS.

These pirates desperately need to be dead...and in large numbers.

That might prove to be a bit rough on this retarded couple, but hey...they wanted an adventure, didn't they?

[AmzingGrace]

Well it looks like it's time to arm the Reapers patroling the area. Clearly these pirates are clueless as well as cretins. Until they are taken down dramatically they will continue to commit these atrocities.

[thesevenveils]

Smooth move.
Husband to wife: "Hey, I have an idea to spice up our retirement. let's go sail the most dangerous pirate infested waters and see what kind of adventure we can drum up.
The wife replies: "What ever dear".

[ToolMangler1]

" A Somali pirate claiming to speak on behalf of a group holding a British couple says they will move the couple to another hijacked ship with other hostages "



Let me guess, they are waiting fo the "Oasis of the Seas" to sail by so they can pirate it.

[miami_don]

These folks are taking a lot of heat for not being bright but I haven't heard much about the pirates (excluding the comment about hanging them from the yardarm). I cannot figure out is what direction the couple was traveling. Although, I suspect it was through the Suez Canal based on the fact they were previously in the Mediterranean. You may be right they may have not considered the danger of the East African coast. Still;I hate seeing them judged to be meaningless and stupid for wanting to travel the world. We Americans have been unsuccessful in dealing with the Somali's (Black Hawk Down) and the African union is doing no better so let's request the Russians give it a shot and ask them send in their paratroops. That should be interesting.

[mjlewis6]

I recall it was a Republican Congress that chastised a Democratic President Clinton for sending in the military in support of UN Food Distribution workers and their Pakistani guards that had been attacked. That Congress criticised the President and would not support any overseas actions he might take.

There was a narrow window of an opportunity to stop the attacks on UN assistance, but Congress and a restrained President MISSED that early chance to make a difference for security and stability.

[docpeter1953]

Now the only option left appears to be turning the whole are into glass with a couple of nukes.

Oh what the heck, lets go for it.

[AmzingGrace]

If you check your facts - the Dems wanted to send in troops with such ridiculous limits that it would compromise their safety - exactly what happened to create the Black Hawk down situation.

Forces sent in with too many limits results in needless lives lost. Same administration - Clinton's had a chance to get Osama but restrained the troops with dumb rules. And the Bush Admin also played political pattycake and lost a chance to get Osama a second time. Nobody has really learned from the lessons of Desert One - Jimmy Carters micromanaged disaster effort to rescue the Embassy hostages in Iran.

If you don't learn from your mistakes you keep commiting them over and over again. Here - the Militaries of all interested countries should simply move in IN FORCE and clean out the pirates and all those who support them on land or sea. It would take a little time to get the intel about the locations but it can be done if backed and run correctly. A true military operation with the Administration setting reasonable rules, mission and then keeping hands off. BUT it will never happen with the Osama Administration.

[mick7744]

There should be only one hard, fast rule.

Kill anyone, male or female, youngster or adult, who is armed.

I recall reading a report from an American soldier during the Somalia incursion about a woman who was smirking as a male with an automatic weapon fired at him from behind her, his weapon underneath her arm.

I'm afraid I would have shot that smirk right off her face rather than lose men to a bunch of silly rules that the Somalis had read about also.

There is only one rule in combat...DESTROY THE ENEMY AND HIS (OR HER) WILL TO FIGHT!

The rest is just nonsense served up by those who have never been there.

[hungry1968-17]

Friggin' idiots.

Let the pirates keep them.

[6591Hou]

Pleasure cruising where the pirates are known to be is about as dumb as you can be. Their sort of flagrant disregard for common sense should not cause anyone else to be endangered in trying to free them.

That being said, the Brits need to bring back hanging pirates from the yardarm. If you are seen engaging in piracy then you hang.

[Sloughfoot]

Ibid

[GTR5]

These people must be total morons for being in this area known for pirates.