THOOTHUKUDI:  For Daniston, a seafarer recently released by Somali pirates after four years in captivity, a return to his country is a rebirth. “I never expected to return. It is definitely a rebirth,” he said after an emotional reunion with his family and friends at the Thoothukudi Domestic Airport on Friday.

His frail frame bore testimony to the treatment meted out to him in captivity. Daniston (26) and six other Indians were among the 15 seafarers captured by the Somali pirates on September 28, 2010. Employed with a private shipping company in Mumbai, the men were traveling to Europe aboard MV Asphalt Venture. According to Daniston, the captured sailors were made to stay in a pit hole with limited food supply. The only fresh drinking water available was the rainwater that collected on the tarpaulin which covered the pit hole. While eight sailors were released by the pirates after six months, Daniston and six others were freed on October 30 this year.

Accompanied by his mother Suguna and father Litton, who had gone to Mumbai to receive him, Daniston was accorded a roaring reception at the Thoothukudi airport by his extended family, friends and fellow seafarers from his native Punnakayal, a small fishermen hamlet near here. Meeting his son after four years, an emotional Litton thanked the Central and State governments for facilitating his return.

Source: The New Indian Express