Burmese sailors set adrift in lifeboat

On Thursday, rescuers retrieved nine sailors– five Burmese and four Indonesian– who were drifting on a lifeboat in South Vietnamese waters for four days. The sailors had been attacked by pirates who hijacked their vessel and left them adrift at sea.

Allegedly the sailors to control of Captain Sann Winnaug’s oil tanker Zafirah just two days after it had left the Mal

aysian port Pasir Gudang. While in Indonesian waters, the tanker was attacked and the crew was left to die afloat a single lifeboat.

Fortunately, fishing boats from Vung Tau in Vietnam caught sight of the victims and called for local rescuers to reel them in to safety. The rescuers sent a vessel to bring in the life boat, while the local police began to search the area for the pirates.

In a decisive counter-piracy operation, Vung Tau police tracked down the thieves, who refused to surrender. The Vung Tau police didn’t back down, however, and raided the pirates themselves, capturing all 11 Indonesian criminals, who were wielding guns and knives.

According to Captain Winnaug, he and his crew were held captive by the pirates for a period of time before being jettisoned from the ship. He claims they were locked inside the cabin without any food or water.

All crew members have been medically examined and are in stable condition. Most are well on their way home after a terrifying ordeal.