Somalia: Pirates Seek $7 Million for British Couple,Bangkok Post Somali pirates say they hijacked Yemeni vessel‎

The BBC reported that a man claiming to be a spokesman for Somali pirates had demanded a $7 million ransom for a British couple seized from their 38-foot sailboat off the Seychelles a week ago. In a taped telephone call to the BBC, the man demanding the payment, speaking English, said that “We only need a little amount of $7 million,” and that the couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, 58 and 55, would not be harmed unless the pirates were attacked by the Western naval task force that was shadowing them. Asked why so much money had been demanded for the crew of a private sailboat, the pirate said past “NATO operations” had “destroyed a lot of equipment” and resulted in the deaths and capture of other pirates. “So when you consider the amount of damage, the sum is not big,” he said. Earlier, Mrs. Chandler, above left, in a telephone call to relatives, said the pirates were treating the couple well. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/africa/31briefs-Somalia.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimesworld
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