Bid to rescue Lankans held by Somali pirates
Rafik JALALDEEN
The Sri Lankan mission in Saudi Arabia is in close contact with Saudi
officials to obtain release of 13 Sri Lankans who were captured by
Somali pirates on Monday. The Greek Captain of the crew of the MT Al-Nisr
Al-Saudi oil tanker was also taken into custody in the Gulf of Aden.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sri Lankan
missions in Riyadh and Jeddah have informed in this regard.
"Since it was the weekend (Thursday and Friday) in Saudi Arabia the
Saudi authorities were not available. Hence the Sri Lanka embassy and
Consulate are finding it difficult to bring the matter to the notice of
the Saudi officials," the spokesperson told the Daily News. The ship is
owned by a private shipping company.
The company must deal with the hijackers and negotiate with them, the
Spokesperson said.
|