This Article is From Apr 01, 2010

Sailors' families pray for their return

Salaya village (Kutch): Yasmin saw her father off two months ago, when Suleiman Madiyar set sail. Recently, his ship was on its way from the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia to Dubai, when Somalian pirates struck.

''We pray all day for the safe return of our loved ones,'' says Yasmin, daughter of Suleiman Madiyar.

One hundred and twenty Indian sailors on seven vessels from Gujarat have been abducted. Thirty of them are from Salaya, including Suleiman Madiyar.

The village is battling its fears with prayers.

''We have asked Chief Minister Narendra Modi for help. We have spoken to local leaders. But we have no information about them,'' says Kasam Bholim, president, Boat Owners' Association, Salaya.

Due to extreme poverty, fishermen from this village risk sailing in the dangerous waters around Somalia.

Salaya's only hope -- the pirates have always released abducted sailors in the past.

Pirate attacks have continued to climb despite three dozen warships patrolling the Somali coast.

Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. There are few other job prospects in the impoverished nation, which has not had a stable government for 19 years.
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