Help Somali Hostages " The Chandlers"

[Alonso]

Can anyone think of a plan to raise the money to free this couple... Maybe Virgin Money could set up a donation line and accept credit cards.... Anyone any ideas...???

""""""The money to release Paul and Rachel Chandler, taken hostage from their yacht on 23 October, had been agreed by a British negotiator two weeks ago. Foreign Office officials rejected the breakthrough, saying that they would not allow payments to hostage-takers.

The disclosure will increase the anguish for relatives of the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, after concern that Britain's policy of not talking to kidnappers will endanger their lives.

Nick Davis, who negotiated the deal, yesterday accused the Foreign Office of playing "stupid games" after revealing how the Chandlers' captors had agreed to an offer that would have released the couple at a fraction of the £4.3m ransom previously demanded"""""

[mybrainhurts]

Absolutely not. We do not, and must not, pay ransom money to anybody.

[xr287]

As soon as the UK govt pays a ransom then the pirates have even more incentive to do it again knowing they will pay up. Best to never pay anybody.

[pokethepope]

+1 to the above, if we start throwing money at pirates i'm sure there's people in Britain who have been jobless from the recession who will be tempted to go down there and have a go, let alone the thousands of poor, starving Somalians that aren't yet in Piracy.

Let them target the Spanish vessels, better them than us no?

Edited by pokethepope on Monday 1st February 02:11

[XJSJohn]

Better solution would be to send the lads from Hereford in given that we know exactly where they are, and get them out rather than giving in to a ransom demand that would have the knock on effect of endangering many more British lives and British flagged vessels!


Edit to add, saying this as someone who has sailed in the waters where the Chandlers were kidnapped and have many friends who do regularly travel around the Indian Ocean in yachts similar to the Chandlers!

And before its said .... they were closer to the Seychelles than the African Coast!!!!

Edited by XJSJohn on Monday 1st February 06:20

[Alonso]

XJSJohn said:

Better solution would be to send the lads from Hereford in given that we know exactly where they are, and get them out rather than giving in to a ransom demand that would have the knock on effect of endangering many more British lives and British flagged vessels!


Edit to add, saying this as someone who has sailed in the waters where the Chandlers were kidnapped and have many friends who do regularly travel around the Indian Ocean in yachts similar to the Chandlers!

And before its said .... they were closer to the Seychelles than the African Coast!!!!

Edited by XJSJohn on Monday 1st February 06:20

Could the boys from Hereford make them do this ??

[Simpo Two]

xr287 said:

As soon as the UK govt pays a ransom then the pirates have even more incentive to do it again knowing they will pay up. Best to never pay anybody.

Well we're going to send British taxpayer's money direct to the Taliban if they promise to stop being nasty to us. And of course they will smile and take the money and buy more weapons with it.

It's called appeasement - and it never works.

[mat13]

Simpo Two said:

xr287 said:

As soon as the UK govt pays a ransom then the pirates have even more incentive to do it again knowing they will pay up. Best to never pay anybody.

Well we're going to send British taxpayer's money direct to the Taliban if they promise to stop being nasty to us. And of course they will smile and take the money and buy more weapons with it.

It's called appeasement - and it never works.

Didnt they try it with a short, angry man with a funny tash?

[mrmaggit]

mat13 said:

Simpo Two said:

xr287 said:

As soon as the UK govt pays a ransom then the pirates have even more incentive to do it again knowing they will pay up. Best to never pay anybody.

Well we're going to send British taxpayer's money direct to the Taliban if they promise to stop being nasty to us. And of course they will smile and take the money and buy more weapons with it.

It's called appeasement - and it never works.

Didnt they try it with a short, angry man with a funny tash?

Yes, but luckily some portly alcoholic decided he'd have a go at doing it properly. Resulted in one dead angry man with a funny tash. If the foppish one had stood his ground instead of waving a piece of paper, maybe fewer other blokes and gals would have bought it too.

[Mr E Driver]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... Pirates

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... pirates could kill yacht couple within days.&mid=147607



Already two threads been running since October on this one.....