Monday, September 29, 2008

Hari Raya on Wednesday amidst ‘homecoming’ cheer of hijacked vessels…

Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 1 as news of a second Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) tanker, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates, has been freed brought relief for families of the 29 Malaysian hostages.
The ‘balik kampung’ exodus is expected to reach top-most gear following the announcement of the Hari Raya by Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal.
But the more anticipated ‘homecoming’ would definitely be that of the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) vessel.
The MT Bunga Melati Dua was released at 4.14am today and was reported to be heading towards Djibouti, East Africa with the crew in good health.
The good news came a day after pirates released another MISC tanker -- MT Bunga Melati Lima.
The MT Bunga Melati Dua, with a crew of 39 -- 29 Malaysian and the rest Filipinos -- was hijacked on Aug19. One of the Filipino crew was killed after being hit by a stray bullet, when the ship was taken over by pirates.
Ten days later, the MT Bunga Melati Lima, with 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew encountered the same fate while sailing from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia to Singapore.