Family members of the 17 sailors, who have been held hostage by Somali pirates for the past nine months, on Tuesday protested outside the Shipping Ministry.
The families demanded immediate release of the sailors, who have been held captive by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, on UAE-owned MT Royal Grace.
‘Yes, we met the Shipping Minister, and he assured us that he would do something. Pirates have threatened to kill our children if nothing is done till 30 Nov. So, we have decided that till they (government) decide to get them released, we will not go from here,’ mother of Mehtab, one of the hostages, said . ‘My son who has been held hostage, has two children. Nothing has happened in the past nine months, let us see what they do now,’ she said.
The families demanded immediate release of the sailors, who have been held captive by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, on UAE-owned MT Royal Grace.
‘Yes, we met the Shipping Minister, and he assured us that he would do something. Pirates have threatened to kill our children if nothing is done till 30 Nov. So, we have decided that till they (government) decide to get them released, we will not go from here,’ mother of Mehtab, one of the hostages, said . ‘My son who has been held hostage, has two children. Nothing has happened in the past nine months, let us see what they do now,’ she said.