Thaindian News

Dharamsala, Nov 13 (IANS) The chief engineer aboard a Singaporean ship hijacked by Somali pirates Oct 15 in the Gulf of Aden has established contact with his family. He told them that negotiations for an early release were on, his relatives said Friday.
Raghubir Singh Pathania spoke to his family in Fatehpur village near this Himachal Pradesh town.

“We got a call from Raghubir from the hijacked ship early this week. He spoke briefly to Deepika (his wife) and other family members and asked about their well-being. He seemed to be in perfect health,” Pathania’s father Pritam Singh told IANS.

Pathania told his family that the pirates were not harassing the crew and negotiations were on between the pirates and the shipping company.

“The pirates are not harassing the crew. They all have been holed up in a small cabin. The crew has been allowed to talk to their family members. Negotiations are on between the pirates and the company,” Pritam Singh said.

Pathania has been working with Singapore-based Pacific International Ltd. (PIL) for the past 10 years. PIL’s ship M.V. Kota Wajar was hijacked somewhere north of the Seychelles. The pirates have abducted 21 crew members, including two Indians.

Pritam Singh rued that the government is not serious about getting the Indians released early.

“The Indian government does not seem to be serious about the early release of their countrymen. It has to take up the issue seriously with Singapore authorities so that pressure can be put on the shipping company to secure their early release,” he said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure the early release of the hijacked crew.