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| Talking to the kidnappers of the British couple is the best option |
"Our kidnappers are losing patience. They are concerned that there has been no response at all to their demands for money," the British couple held hostage by Somali pirates said in a video. I have been monitoring this development very closely since their yacht, the Lynn Rival, was hijacked on October 23 2009.
More importantly, I have managed to persuade the pirates, holding the British couple, that it was everyone’s interest to let the hostages speak on camera. In November last year, I traveled to Somalia and spend time with the pirates in which I produced a story for Channel 4 News. So since I am one of the very few journalists who have met the pirates, perhaps I should comment on the issue.
I am not surprised that the British Government said: "We do not make substantive concessions to hostage takers, including the payment of ransoms.” However, there is a difference between negotiations and concessions. While the British government is right to stand firm - it will have no choice but to talk to the captors – and the sooner the better.
The Chandlers’ situation is different to the previous hijackings where hostages would stay aboard a ship and negotiations could continue as long as necessary. In this case, Paul and Rachel are in land and the pirates are moving around with them. "We have been threatened that there is a terrorist gang at large in the country looking for us," Chandler said.
That threat is genuine. There are various other groups who are trying to take-over the hostages. For fear of losing out the hostages, the pirates are very nervous. Keeping silence is not an option. My view is that the Foreign Office should talk to the pirates directly while negotiating with local clan elders for the release of the couple.
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| Somali Islamists vow to free British hostages from pirates |
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| Hostages Paul and Rachel Chandler beg for Christmas release |
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