By: Yusuf M Hasan
Somalilandsun – “In the spirit of the festival of “Eid” which symbolizes brotherhood, love , peace and prosperity among all sections of the society we families of the crew of the Somali pirate hostage ship MV Albedo appeal for your support in securing the release of our loved ones”
This appeal is made by the families of the hostages from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who Undeterred by a lack of response to their previous appeal for release of the crew of MV Albedo held for ransom by pirates, are now appealing directly to people of the Somali communities worldwide to coincide with the festival of Eid:
MV Albedo has been in pirate hands since it was attacked in the Indian Ocean in November 2010, and according to confirmation by the EU Naval Force the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel MV Albedo, held by armed pirates at an anchorage close to the Somali Coast, sunk in rough seas.
According to the Secretariat for Regional Maritime Security, Somali Contact Group on Counter Piracy and Maritime Security, aka the Kampala Process, 11 of the crewmembers survived the incident, and were transferred to the fishing vessel NAHAM 3 which had been alongside the MV Albedo before she sank. 4 crewmembers are still missing however.
Below is the verbatim appeal from the families availed Somalilandsun by Mr. Roy Paul the Programme Director of Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme- MPHRP
Quote – We the families of crew of Albedo from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had earlier appealed to the Elders, our Brothers and Sisters of Somalia to assist with humanitarian release of our loved ones who were on the sunken ship, Albedo. The ship was hijacked by some Somali men on 26th Nov 2010 and 5 of the crew members including 4 Sri Lankan crew have not been able to contact their family members. The fate of rest of the 11 crew remains a big concern for us as we still pray to Almighty GOD to take care of them.
We are in desperate condition living with a little hope to see our beloved crew soon . On this eve of forthcoming 
Eid on 9th August 2013 , we once again appeal with our folded hands to all Somali community in the world to convince Somali men, who are holding these innocent poor life to release them on humanitarian grounds. We have not celebrated any festival since the last 3 years and have forgotten even to laugh . The only faith on which we are surviving is that we will be able to rejoice with our son/ father/ husband / brother one day. Their small children, wife, old parents are eagerly waiting to meet with them and again celebrate festivals.
The festival of “Eid” symbolises brotherhood, love , peace and prosperity among all sections of the society. We would be very grateful and thankful throughout our life to kindly assist in securing the release of unfortunate crew of Albedo. Please accept our sincere request as we have left with no other option than to beg for the life our family’s sole breadwinners.
With all our hands folded , the families of crew of Albedo once again desperately seek the help of all Somali community to urgently help us to save them-Unquote
For more details on how you can support the desperate families contact Roy Paul the Programme Director of Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme via email roypaul@mphrp.org or visit the MPHRP official site www.mphrp.org
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