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Do something to get me released, hostage father pleads with son
By Dhananjani Silva
The family members of Sri Lankan Marine Engineer Sydney Rodrigo who was taken hostage along with eight other crew members in the seas off Somalia recently, has appealed to the government and international groups to secure his relief.

Mr. Rodrigo is the third Sri Lankan to be held by Somali gunmen in six months in a series of hijackings in the sea. When The Sunday Times contacted Mr. Rodrogo’s residence in Wattala, his elder son, Nuwan, recalled the last words spoken by his dear father on that fateful day.

“His ship was hijacked two and a half months ago but it was only two or three weeks ago that we got to know about the incident when my father phoned home to say that his ship had been hijacked and he and the other crew members were being held hostage until the ransom they demanded was paid. He pleaded with us to do something to secure his release. That was the last time he spoke to us after his ship was hijacked,” Nuwan said.

Fifty-nine-year-old Sydney Rodrigo is a father of two sons, aged 20 and 27. Counting more than 25 years experience of sea life, he joined Al Nerm Shipping Company in Oman in October last year. “On October 22, my father called home from Oman before the ship started sailing,” Nuwan said.

“It was such a shock for us to know that our father’s ship had been hijacked. My mother, brother and I were helpless as this is something that we have never experienced unlike a terrorist attack or a robbery. Fortunately, we were able to get a clue as to where he is, when the area code of the phone number through which he contacted us was traced.”

Nuwan then informed government officials and even met the son of Captain Silva, who was also hijacked by the Somali gunmen and later released.
“Captain Silva’s son advised me as to what I should do and who I should contact as they too have had a similar experience before. My younger brother is trying hard to console my mother who is finding it difficult to come to terms with reality,” Nuwan said.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Mr. Rodrigo and the other crew members including 6 Somalis, one Tanzanian and one Indian are being held in a house at an unknown location in Somalia, around 25 kilometres away from the ship and the hijackers are demanding a ransom of US$ 100,000.
Nuwan said his uncle who is in Oman is keeping them informed about measures being taken by the Sri Lankan embassy in Oman and the shipping company.
As for the ransom, the company has said it is not in a position to pay such a large sum and has indicated the hijackers could keep the cargo and release the captives, but the gunmen had declined the offer.

The Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Kenya has contacted Mr. Rodrigo over the phone and has told the family members here that Mr. Rodrigo is safe and in good health. Nuwan said he and his family were optimistic that his father would return soon. “We are unable to pay such a large ransom. But we somehow want to get our father back,” said a worried Nuwan.

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