Concern raised on hijacked foreign boats

General Santos City (16 July) -- The hijacked foreign boats brought to this city
and purportedly transacted for sale have brought grave concern from the
government especially in giving the area a bad image.

In a press conference, Secretary Jesus Dureza, national director of the Act for
Peace Programme, GOP-UNDP and chairman of the Mindanao National
Development Authority (MINDA) said there is cause for concern here since the
Philippines particularly Mindanao is part of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia and
the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMPA- EAGA) where close trade
relations are being promoted.

"This will give a bad picture. We have to prosecute this case. The culprits cannot
just get away with this piracy transaction," Dureza averred.

The case which is now being prosecuted by the City Prosecutors Office,
Department of Justice in General Santos City involves two Malaysian vessels,
Atlantic 3, a tug boat and Atlantic 5, a towing barge owned by Axsonic Shipping.
The company, according to the report of the Coast Guard District Southeastern
Mindanao (CGDSEM), lost contact with their boats on April 27. The boats left
Tanjung Ayam, Johor, Malaysia for Kintap,, South Kalimantan.

The nine crew of Atlantic 3 (six Indonesians, two Malaysians and one Myanmar
national) in a life raft found off Vietnam were rescued by the Vietnamese Navy on
May 3, 2010.

The incident was reported to the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation
Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia-
Information Sharing Center (ReECAAP-ISC) which coordinated with the
counterparts in the region including the Philippines.

A report from one Gerry Odango to the Coast Guard Station, General Santos
City (CGS GenSan) on May 17, 2010 led to the recovery of the lost boats.
Odango informed CGSGenSan that a tug boat and a barge were undergoing
emergency dry-docking at Kingford Marine Works Shipyard. He told the Coast
Guard officials that the vessels were newly bought and that he was asked by the
owner to facilitate their registration.

Having received the report from the ReCAAP-ISC, the Coast Guard personnel
felt a striking coincidence with the lost Malaysian vessels incident. On May 19,
the Coast Guard team conducted an inspection and found the tug boat bearing a
hull name, Atlantic 3 and the barge bearing the hull name, Atlantic 5, The
supposedly crew on board could not present documents.

However, the inspecting team recovered documents in a trash can at a pilot
house which particulars matched the descriptions of the tugboat Atlantic 3 and
the barge Atlantic 5.

Respondents Reynaldo Onde, Marcelino Zapanta and Allan Zapanta will face
charges of piracy, an international crime which is now lodged with the General
Santos City Prosecutors Office. (PIA 12)

http://www.recaap.org/news/pdf/news/2010