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Returning home feels like a dream for four freed hostages
Returning home feels like a dream for Sudirman, a 34-year-old Indonesian sailor who spent four-and-a-half years as a hostage of Somali pirates in the "no man's land".
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Tearful reunion: One of the survivors, Elson Pesireron (left), hugs a family member as a teary Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) stands to the side in Jakarta on Monday. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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eturning home feels like a dream for Sudirman, a 34-year-old Indonesian sailor who spent four-and-a-half years as a hostage of Somali pirates in "no man's land".
He and three other crewmen—Ade Manurung, Nelson Pesirero, and Supardi—seemed to be in a daze as they stepped foot in the Pancasila building at the Foreign Ministry complex, but their eyes finally regained their sparkle as they were reunited with their families and embraced each other with tears in their eyes.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who led the official handover of the sailors to their families on Monday, witnessed the heartwarming moment with teary eyes.
"The four of us still look at each other and see that we are still traumatized [from the experience of having been taken hostage]. Honestly we still cannot believe that we are here, is this a dream? We think it's a miracle," Sudirman said.
The four were among 26 sailors who were on board the Naham 3 vessel when it was hijacked south of the Seychelles in March 2012. Somali pirates killed the boat's captain. The sailors lived in fear for one-and-a-half years on board the vessel after they were taken hostage and three years in Somalia with the bandits.
Aside from collecting wood and rainwater for the pirates, as hostages they did not have access to proper food or clean water. They were given spoiled food that caused diarrhea and drinking water tainted by camel or goat droppings, Sudirman said.
The hostages had also carried out hunger strikes to threaten the captors when their Cambodian fellow was shot three times in his leg for a misunderstanding with the Somalis when he wanted to go to bathroom. They knew that the pirates wanted them alive in hopes for a ransom, Sudirman said.
Another sailor named Supardi, a 34-year-old man from Cirebon, West Java, said during the four years of being held captive, he could only pray and fast for a miracle. Praying was difficult because they were filthy and it was hard to determine the kibla(direction of the Kaaba) in the woods.
There were times when Supardi had lost hope. Every time the sailors resisted and attempted to escape, the pirates would punish them by not providing any food or water.
On Oct. 22 they were freed alongside other 22 sailors and made their way to Nairobi before finally returned to Jakarta, safe and sound. However, the traumatic experience surely left them scarred.
"I haven't thought about returning to sailing at all. Now I just need serenity," Supardi said with tired eyes. (dmr)
