Somali pirates have killed one crew member of a Taiwanese fishing vessel hijacked last month as the owners of the ship failed to meet their ransom demands, a maritime official said yesterday.
At press time, the identity and nationality of the crew member were not known.
The Taiwanese-flagged vessel Ching Fong Hwa 168 was hijacked in Somali waters in the middle of last month and was believed to be carrying two Taiwanese and 14 Chinese crew members.
The pirates killed one crew member on Saturday and threatened to kill another if their demands continued to be ignored, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Seafarers Assistance Program's Kenyan office.
"We have had communication with them and we hope to negotiate a safe release of the crew," Mwangura said.
"We have informed the Taiwanese government about the killing," he said.
A Danish cargo ship was also captured by armed pirates off the coast of Somalia during the weekend, the owner of the ship said on Saturday.
Responding to the news, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman David Wang (王建業) said yesterday the ministry would seek to provide assistance to the abducted crew members.
So far the ministry had not received enough information from the families of the crew or the fishery departments involved to determine the course of action to take, he said.
Wang said the situation remained puzzling and that the ship owner and the families had maintained a low profile since the abduction.
"We have not received a request for assistance from the families," Wang said, adding it was difficult to obtain information as Taiwan does not have a representative office in Somalia.
Wang said Somali waters are often targeted by pirates.
Two years ago, three Taiwanese were abducted by Somali militiamen and were released after a ransom was paid. Earlier this year, a UN chartered cargo ship carrying food provisions was also hijacked near Somali waters.
"Rescuing [the Ching Fong Hwa 168 and its crew] will require some time, but we will do what we can," Wang said.
Piracy almost disappeared during the six months in which a strict Islamist movement was in power, but has experienced a resurgence since the start of this year when Ethiopian and Somali troops ousted the Islamists.
Somalia, which lies at the tip of the Red Sea, has been without an effective government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre sparked a bloody power struggle.
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