Final episode: Freed from the pirate lair
"Somali pirates put guns to the heads of the hostages, forcing them to call home to demand ransom" - sailor Luu Dinh Hung (Nghi Tien, Nghi Loc) said; and he added that in the 18 months from when he was kidnapped by pirates until he was rescued, the sailor cried twice: when he heard the voices of his relatives and when he escaped and returned home.-->> See Part 4: Digging a grave to bury the piratesCalling for help
Call for help
Under the low, shady trees, the group of robbers cut some more branches to make a fence and created a circle to guard the 26 hostages. The desert was scorching hot, the sky was cloudless, the hostages were standing and sitting around the tree, enduring their thirst. Occasionally, the late afternoon rains poured down, soaking the 26 people. “We would rather endure the heat than the rain. It was very miserable when it rained, we only had a few sets of clothes from when we worked on the Shiuh Fu No. 1 ship, our whole bodies smelled very unpleasant, the rain made us even more restless” - sailor Luu Dinh Hung said.
After a long year in a foreign land, Tet passed without anyone noticing. Watches, phones and even money were taken by pirates right after they attacked the ship, the hostages gradually lost the concept of space and time. "In the panic, the sailors still joked with each other that if the pirates untied them and let them go free, everyone would die of hunger and thirst from getting lost" - Nguyen Van Hai (Quynh Long, Quynh Luu) said.
In the midst of the Somali pirates' den, always being closely watched and guarded, the way back was like a distant, dim flame, a small, weak ray of hope. One day, the commander suddenly appeared, he ordered his henchmen to drag the captain, first mate, chief engineer, and first mate to an isolated place, forcing them to call the ship owner. Next, each hostage was held at gunpoint, forced to call their families. "After many months of captivity, now hearing the voices of their parents, of their siblings, everyone trembled, everyone cried!" - sailor Ho Xuan Huong (Quynh Luu) recalled.
“Mom, it’s me!”, Hung could only say that one sentence before hugging the phone and sobbing. He intended to say a few more words but suddenly a chill ran down his spine, a black gun barrel pressed against his ear. On the other end of the line, Mrs. Vo Thi Nhi was silent. She just stood there, unable to cry. Overjoyed, Mrs. Nhi ran down to the kitchen to call Grandma Tran Thi Tuan to pick up the phone. But when Hung’s grandmother rushed over, the line had lost signal, and Hung’s voice could no longer be heard. In his hometown, the mother and son, one old and one young, hugged each other and cried.
Sailor Nguyen Van Hai was also asked to call his family. After more than a year of wandering, Hai only remembered the phone number of his brother Nguyen Van Thanh (living in Quynh Long commune), so he called him. "They're demanding ransom money. I'll go tell the company to find a way to get you back, otherwise you'll be shot!" Thanh encouraged him: "We've tried our best, don't worry, you'll be released sooner or later!" At the same time, sailor Tran Minh Tri called his father Tran Truong. There was no signal. Tri turned to call his wife Bui Thi Phuong's phone number (Quynh Long, Quynh Luu). Tri said urgently: "The fishing boat ran aground and was heavily damaged. The pirates brought 26 crew members ashore and asked the ship owner to transfer the ransom money to them. The pirates told the hostages to call home this time for the last time, if the ransom money wasn't paid soon, each of them would be killed." To terrorize the people, the robbers suddenly took the three hostages out of the detention center and spread the news that they had been shot dead.
Confused
From the remote district of Tuong Duong, Mr. Luu Dinh Thu (father of Luu Dinh Hung) was working on a construction project when he heard that his son had returned from Somalia. He immediately left his work and ran to Nghi Tien commune (Nghi Loc). “My heart was burning like fire. He is the only son in the family. If anything happens to him, I don’t want to live anymore. If I could die so that my son could live, I would be willing!”, Mr. Thu choked up.
Mrs. Vo Thi Nhi, mother of sailor Luu Dinh Hung, suffered from insomnia and became emaciated. Since Hung's accident, she has not been able to do any work, whether heavy or light. "At night, I did not dare go inside the house, suddenly afraid of the dark. I lay on the porch, looked up to the sky and clasped my hands to pray for my son, hoping he would be safe," Mrs. Nhi said. Hung's grandmother was 79 years old, exhausted, and every afternoon she went out to the alley to look after her grandson. Luu Dinh Hung was the eldest grandson, so all of Mr. Tuan's love was given to him.
In the coastal commune of Quynh Long, Quynh Luu district, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Choc (father of sailor Nguyen Van Hai) fondled the notice from the Center for Training - Labor Export and Tourism (under the Hanoi Investment, Trade and General Services Company) reporting that his son was kidnapped by pirates. After Hai's phone call announcing the bad news that the pirates threatened to "deal with" each hostage, he was devastated. "I went to the company several times, and every time they encouraged me, but I couldn't sit still," Mr. Choc explained.
“Fortunately, the robbers only threatened and beat us to demand ransom, none of us were harmed,” said Nguyen Van Hai. Not long ago, a fellow countryman of Hai, Tran Van Tri (born in 1988, from Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu district), a crew member of the Tai Yuan 227 ship (Taiwan), and Nguyen Tien Anh and Nguyen Khac Hieu (from Ha Tinh) were also kidnapped by pirates. All three crew members were held captive by pirates for 7 months, then released.
Deliverance
Sailor Hai said: “During the time he was captured and imprisoned by pirates, the person who was beaten the most, tied up the most was the captain. He said, the sailors were still young, they had to live to return, he was old and it didn’t matter if he died.” Every time he was tied up and beaten, he shouted: “If you want to kill, kill me!” The pirates laughed. They were not foolish enough to kill a hostage. What they needed was ransom, not the hostage’s life.
The house of sailor Nguyen Van Hai (Quynh Long, Quynh Luu).
Still having two simple meals a day, no food at all and living under the tree under the rain and sun, the 26 sailors of the Shiuh Fu No. 1 patiently endured, praying for a miracle to come. Indeed, their wait was rewarded. One fine day, the pirate commander arrived, happily shaking hands with each of them. They told the captain to translate to the sailors: "Tomorrow, everyone will be free, a ship will come to pick you up!"
“Do you know how happy the sailors were when they heard that news?!” Nguyen Van Hai asked me, then jumped up with joy, shouting: “Brothers! We escaped death!” His face was covered in sweat, Hai breathed heavily: “I was so happy! Everyone felt like they had died and then come back to life! That night, no one could sleep, the sailors were tossing and turning, some of them covered their faces and cried with joy.”
On the morning of July 17, 2012, the hostage sailors were taken to the beach. A ship docked at the shore and dropped two canoes to pick up the sailors of the Shiuh Fu No. 1. The waves were so big that the two canoes were flooded and their engines died as soon as they landed. “That was the most thrilling and tense moment, everyone wanted to get to the mainland quickly, to escape the pirates’ lair,” said Luu Dinh Hung. After a few dozen minutes of silence, suddenly there was the sound of an engine roaring in the distance, a helicopter hovered overhead and dropped a rope ladder, 26 people climbed up one by one and just a few minutes later they were on the deck of a ship parked offshore. Here, the sailors were given clothes, bathed, fed and rested. The ship started its engine, headed straight for Tanzania and after a 3-day and night journey at sea, the sailors were brought to the mainland.
At 3:10 p.m. on July 24, 2012, all 12 Vietnamese sailors arrived at Noi Bai International Airport amid the choking joy of their relatives.
Returning home after more than 18 months of being kidnapped by Somali pirates, the crew members have now begun to think about plans for their future livelihood. Crew member Vu Van Ba (born in 1991, Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu) after going to the Provincial General Hospital for a health check-up was found to have hepatitis B along with a number of other diseases, so for now, he is resting to treat the disease and recover his health. Crew member Ho Xuan Huong (born in 1989, Phu Lien village, Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu) said: "My family does not want me to go far away. Moreover, after being kidnapped, my grandfather passed away, I am the only son in the family, so I want to stay close to my family. Quynh Long is a fishing village, I have been attached to the sea since I was little, so in the near future, I will stay home to go fishing with my father and brothers in the village." Crew members Vu Minh Tri (born in 1991) and Nguyen Van Hai (born in 1992) from Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu both plan to continue working as workers far away, because they have no jobs at home, and since they are adults, they have to support themselves and help their families. However, neither of them thinks about continuing to work abroad. Crew member Luu Dinh Son (Thach Tien village, Thach Ngan, Con Cuong): "For now, I will stay home to rest and help my parents and siblings with the fields. After Tet, I will still have to go to the South or to some city to find work, because my family's situation is very difficult...".LAKE LAI
Quang Long
