VICTIMS MISTAKEN FOR PIRATES

In a bizarre twist of events, the crew of a vessel from Madagascar who say they were hijacked by Somali pirates, are being held in the central Mozambican city of Beira as if they were criminals rather than victims. This fishing boat, with an Italian captain, and a crew of nine Madagascans and a citizen from the Seychelles, was seized on 27 December, but then abandoned by the pirates apparently because the boat ran out of fuel. The boat hoisted sails, and the winds were such that it had to make for the Mozambican rather than the Madagascan coast. They arrived in Beira on Sunday – but since then have been treated as if they were pirate accomplices.The Italian captain, Philip Marzocchi, and his assistant, have been allowed to stay in a Beira hotel, but the rest of the crew have not been permitted to leave the boat.Interviewed in Wednesday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, Marzocchi protested at their virtual imprisonment. “We came here seeking help”, he said. “I’ve already said and I say it again that we were hijacked by pirates who let us go because couldn’t go as fast as they wanted. Now, surprisingly, we are accused of being partners of the pirates and our movements are watched”.Marzocchi said he had made contacts with relatives in Madagascar, who sent him money by bank transfer so that he could buy food and fuel – but he has been unable to take the money out of the bank, “because the Mozambican authorities won’t allow it”.“I greatly lament what is happening”, he said. “What we want is to go home and resume our normal lives. But our colleagues are staying on the boat, without any food. Only I and my assistant have been put in a hotel. Wherever we go, we are accompanied by a policeman”.“We don’t understand this suspicion”, said Marzocchi. “If anybody doubts us, then please use diplomatic means if necessary to remove the doubts, instead of accusing us of being some kind of reconnaissance satellite for the pirates. We have nothing to do with them”.Marzocchi said he had seen another boat seized by the pirates, which seemed to be the “Vega 5”, the fishing vessel belonging to the company Pescamar, which was hijacked on 31 December.He could not be categorical as to whether the boat he had seen was indeed the “Vega 5”, since he had been too far away to read the name – but it looked identical to the photos he had been shown of the “Vega 5”.