Seven Vizagites held captive in Somalia

Seven Vizagites held captive in Somalia

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, July 7: S Srinivas a second year B Tech student is anxiously waiting to see his father who has been away since October 2004. A private agency at Somalia, details not clear, are holding his father Sivakoti Appalaraju along with other six persons belonging to Visakhapatnam. All the family members of the other crew are in the same state of shock. "Since there is no law and order in Somalia, my father's life might fall in danger if I speak to the media," Srinivas said while revealing facts reluctantly.S Appala Raju, Chepalli Appanna, Raiyaz Ali Mohammed, Perla Venkanna, S Ravi Kumar, S Rambabu, K Thathalu who went to Somalia to work for a fishing trawler have been held captive by a private agency since January, 2005. Appalaraju, who used to work for a fishing firm in Visakhapatnam, was employed as Skipper for a fishing vessel MFV Nakanti by a Dubai based Coral Coast Shipping and Trading through one Mr Pramod of M/s Oreintal links Pvt Ltd, Chennai on September 12, 2004 along with the other six members. He along with six crew members joined the vessel in the 1st week of October 2004 and carried out fishing operations at Somalia. From day one of sailing, the family of the crew were in contact with them and everything was going smooth.Ratna Kumari, wife of the Skipper Mr S A Raju said that her husband informed her in January that their vessel was forced to anchor at outer sea by a private agency which caught the vessel along with crew. Victims informed their families that they were running short of food, drinking water and medical care and their only companions were the gunmen guarding them (it is a practice in Somalia that trawlers are guarded by gunmen). The families claimed that there might be a dispute between the agency which captured them and Coral Coast Shipping and Trading, Dubai. The only answer the victims’ families have been receiving whenever they tried to contact Mr Pramod of Chennai, was that he was negotiating with the agency since January.Here these families are worried about the crew’s lives. Ratna Kumari is able to be in touch with her husband on cell phone now and then as the armed guards can't comprehend Telugu. “ My husband is in a confused state as he is not able to understand what is happening around him,” Ratna Kumari told this correspondent. She also said that for the past 10 months her husband hadn't been paid the salary of $1,500 per month that was fixed by the employer.Same is the situation with the other six families. They are pleading with the Central government to intervene in the matter and take necessary action to get the captivated released as early as possible. The spouses of the captivated recently gave a representation to the District Collector who forwarded the same to the city Police Commissioner VSK Kaumudi. They say that their families would be orphaned if anything went wrong. When contacted Mr Kaumudi he said that he was sending the representation and case details to the State Home Department and they would inturn contact the Central Government to take up the issue with the Somalian government.