Families of the MV Suez crew members, kidnapped after Somali pirates hijacked the cargo ship in early August, said the pirates have demanded they must now pay the ransom. The demand follows the refusal to pay by MV Suez owner Red Sea Navigation Company.
The families pleaded with Egyptian businessmen to donate the ransom.
“Naguib Sawiris said he will pay LE1 million to whoever gives information about the stolen Poppy Flower painting,” said Farida Farouk, the wife of a kidnapped crew member. “Why doesn’t he do the same for the crew?”
The Red Sea Navigation Company received fierce criticism for its refusal to pay, particularly after the pirates lowered the ransom price from US$20 million to only one million.
Meanwhile, MPs Abbas Abdel Aziz and Saad Khalifa submitted an interpellation to parliament, accusing Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit of neglecting the kidnapped sailors.
Translated from Arabic Edition.
