The Hindu : Front Page : Seafarers' families felicitate Preneet Kaur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 24, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Seafarers' families felicitate Preneet Kaur

Staff Reporter

CHANDIGARH: Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur was felicitated by the parents of two local seafarers, second Officer Partap Inder Singh and Cadet Navdeep Singh, for her role in getting them released from Somalian pirates on Saturday.

At the first Northern Mariners Conclave 2KXI, organised by the local chapter of the Company of Mater Mariners of India, Capt. M.S. Kahlon presented the saga of the two young merchant navy officers from Punjab, who were among the 11 Indians in a crew of 26 of a cargo ship, Rak Afrikana of Dubai, held hostage by sea pirates on April 11, 2010 at Harardhere in Somalia for 332 days.

Capt. Kahlon explained how the government of India swung into action after he was approached by the families of the two seafarers on February 5 this year and met Randeep Nabha, MLA and later Ms. Kaur in Delhi five days later.

Thanks to her intervention at the highest level, the captive Indian crew was released on March 13 and they landed in Mumbai on March 15, he said.

The parents of the crew presented the photographs of Rak Afrikana as a mark of gratitude to the Minister. “There was a point when we were about to lose all hope and it was the efforts of these few Ministers that made it possible for us to see our son again,” said Jagpal Singh, father of Cadet Navdeep Singh.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page