RELEASE OF PIRATE-HELD MISC VESSELS GOD'S HARI RAYA GIFT, SAYS PM

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today described as God's "Hari Raya" gift the release of the two MISC Berhad tankers seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden last month.

"This is a Hari Raya (Aidilfitri) gift from God to us, especially the
families of the crew of MT Bunga Melati 2 and MT Bunga Melati 5," he told
Bernama when commenting on the release of the two ships.

Abdullah said he was grateful for the release of MT Bunga Melati 2
yesterday
and the safety of the vessel's crew. The pirates had released MT Bunga Melati 5
on Sunday.

"I am also happy to know that the Royal Malaysia Navy team we sent there
has
discharged its duties with dedication and good judgement. I extend my
appreciation to them for having strived to secure the release of both our
vessels," he said.

Both the vessels were held by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden for more
than 40 days.

The Malaysian government sent two warships -- KD Lekiu and KD Inderapura --
and a patrol vessel, KD Pahang, to escort MISC Berhad vessels using the
pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden following the seizure of MT Bunga
Melati 2 and MT Bunga Melati 5.

Abdullah, who is also the defence minister, said Petronas president and
MISC
Berhad chairman Hassan Marican conveyed to him the news of the release
of MT Bunga Melati 2 early yesterday soon after he got news of the release.

"However, we decided not to announce the release of MT Bunga Melati 2
until the vessel had entered international waters. The decision was made for
security
reasons as there have been cases of vessels of other nations being seized again
after their release," he said.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Hassan told reporters MISC had no plan to change the route
of its vessels following the seizure of the two ships.

A change of route would require the vessels to take a longer time to reach
their destinations, he said.

If we change the route to avoid the risky area, our ships will have to
sail
through the Suez Canal to southern Africa and this will take almost 21 days,
which is too long," he said at the MISC Berhad headquarters.

He also said that the unpredictable weather was another reason.

Hassan said MT Bunga Melati 2 and MT Bunga Melati 5 were on their way back
to Malaysia, escorted by Malaysian warships via Djibouti, eastern Africa.

"We cannot ascertain when the crew will reach here (Malaysia) but we hope
they will return safely soon," he said.

MT Bunga Melati 5 with its crew of 41 -- 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos
--
was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Aug 29 while on its way from Singapore to
Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.

MT Bunga Melati 2 with a crew of 39, twenty-nine of them Malaysians, was
seized 10 days earlier in the same waters while sailing from Sumatra in
Indonesia to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. A Filipino crew was killed after he
was hit by a stray bullet during the seizure of the vessel by the pirates.

Hassan said the rest of the crew were safe and that the body of the dead
crew was still on board one of the two vessels.

"We have a medical team comprising a doctor, a medical assistant and a
counsellor from the Defence Ministry and MISC to monitor the condition of the
crew," he said.

Asked how much ransom was paid to the pirates for the release of the two
vessels, he said: "I do not want to state the amount. Of more importance is that
the negotiations were successful and the crew members have been released.

"I wish to emphasise here that MISC gives priority to the families of the
victims and any information on the crew will be conveyed first to the families
and not the media," he said.

He also said that all the crew would go on leave for three months as usual
before getting back to work as per their schedules.

"We have no plan to pay compensation to the families of all the crew," he
added.