Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Thursday 16 March 2017

Argentine peace laureate visits Falklands ahead of troop ID

TRAIGHANA SMITH “I think every one of the
ASSOCIATED PRESS families has the right to
PORT STANLEY, Falkland Is- decide where the bodies
lands (AP) — Nobel peace of their sons should finally
laureate Adolfo Perez Es- rest,” Cortinas said. “We
quivel and other Argen- have to keep strengthening
tine human rights activists bonds among our commu-
have visited a Falklands Is- nities and maintain respect
lands cemetery ahead of among out peoples. In this
planned efforts by Britain case, this country has been
and Argentina to identify colonized and we have to
the remains of 123 Argen- end with that colonization
tine soldiers buried after and let these people be
their 1982 war. free.”
The two nations agreed Some islanders have al-
last year to have a team ready expressed concern
of forensic experts from the about the visit, saying the
International Committee Argentines ignore the wish-
of the Red Cross identify es of the Falklands’ 3,000
the remains. Esquivel, Nora residents who have ex-
Cortinas of the Mothers of pressed a desire to remain
Plaza de Mayo group and British.
other activists visited Dar- Nobel peace prize Adolfo Perez Esquivel, left, and Argentine priest Jose MarÌa Di Paola, better “They seem to be stuck
win Cemetery on Tuesday. know as Pepe, stand at the Argentine memorial cemetery containing the remains of Argentine with the idea that we are
“For me it is all about look- combatants killed during the 1982 war between Argentina and Britain, in Darwin, on Falkland Is- directly under colonial
lands, Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
ing to rebuild a bridge be- (AP Photo/Michelle Winnard) rule and in fact, they keep
tween the habitants of the talking about our govern-
islands and us, as human vaded the South Atlantic In all, the war claimed the samples can be taken. ment, if they talk about
beings, as peoples. After archipelago. Argentina still lives of 649 Argentines and Some fear the identification our government at all, as
all we have shared roots,” claims the islands, which it 255 British soldiers. The bod- could lead others to ask a colonial government,”
Perez Esquivel said. calls the Malvinas. Britain ies of the Argentine war that the remains be moved said John Fowler, a former
Argentina lost a brief but says the Falklands are a dead are expected to be to Argentina’s mainland, editor of the islands’ week-
bloody war with Britain self-governing entity under exhumed from their individ- though that is not part of ly newspaper, the Penguin
after Argentine troops in- its protection. ual graves in June so DNA the plan at this point. News.q
Families plead for Somali pirates to release ship’s crew

A. GULED suppressed pirate hijack- lives of our loved ones,” a The EU statement said the afternoon,” Bile Hussein
B. MALLAWARACHI ings for several years. tearful Makalandawa said naval operation on Tues- told The Associated Press.
Associated Press The European Union anti-pi- after meeting with Sri Lank- day afternoon finally made He said the amount of ran-
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) racy operation in the region an foreign ministry officials. contact with the ship’s som to demand had not
— Families of the eight Sri announced late Tuesday She said officials and fami- master, who confirmed that yet been decided.
Lankan crew members that the armed men were lies were meeting with the armed men were aboard Somali pirates usually hijack
held captive by Somali pi- holding the crew captive shipping agent on Thurs- the Comoros-flagged tank- ships and crew for ransom.
rates on an oil tanker tear- and demanding a ransom day. er Aris 13. They don’t normally kill hos-
fully pleaded Wednesday for the ship’s release. Families have no way of A Somali pirate who said tages unless they come un-
for the men to be released Namali Makalandawa, communicating with the he was in touch with the der attack.
unharmed, while the pi- the sister of the oil tanker’s captive crew, Makalanda- armed men aboard the “They are human. Even the
rates demanded a ransom. chief officer Premnath Ru- wa said. tanker said they have pirates are human. We can
The hijacking on Monday wan Sampath, said families “Please release them. I ap- locked most of the crew in talk over this peacefully,”
was the first such seizure of had tried to contact the peal to you because these one room and cut off com- Makalandawa said.
a large commercial vessel shipping company’s office crew members include fa- munication lines. The ship had been carrying
off Somalia since 2012. It in Dubai but their calls were thers, sons and husbands. “Their main concern now is fuel from Djibouti to Soma-
came as a surprise to the not answered. The have gone to sea to a possible rescue attempt, lia’s capital, Mogadishu,
global shipping industry as “Some fear is developing in earn money to sustain their so that’s why all communi- when it was approached
international patrols had our hearts. We fear for the families,” she said. cations were cut off in the by men in two skiffs.q