Sea piracy rears its ugly head again in Madang waters

Sea piracy has reared its ugly head again in Madang waters, this time claiming the life of a public servant from the Raikos District Administration.

The male victim reportedly drowned during the ordeal late Friday afternoon when they were intercepted by an armed criminal gang.

The passengers were travelling in two 40 horse- powered dinghies from Madang Town to Saidor Station when they were confronted by the criminals, outside Tabalip Point, towards the south coast of Madang.

Reports gathered by NBC News revealed that the criminals seized both boats and removed the engine of the other, leaving them stranded in the sea. All their belongings plus all other valuables were taken by the criminals.

Leonard Kudud, the Assets Protection Team Leader at Basamuk; and operator of the Search and Rescue boat said, "A distress call was received from our deployed police personnel at Basamuk, reporting a pirate attack near Tabalip Point. Nine adults, including two female public servants, were traveling by sea from Madang to Raikos when they were ambushed by armed pirates. The attackers used weapons during the assault. One male public servant sustained injuries from catapult shots to his back and neck. A crew member suffered a bush knife wound to his arm."

He said that during the attack, the pirates forced all passengers overboard and ordered them to swim ashore. One male passenger, unable to swim, drowned on the spot. The remaining eight managed to swim to Tabalip Point and fled inland to the nearby village of Lelah.

"Using a villager’s phone, the survivors contacted Basamuk to report the incident. A Search and Rescue [SAR] operation was immediately launched. The response team proceeded directly to Tabalip Point and, upon arrival at Lelah Village, located and assisted the victims," he added.

The survivors were transported to the Basamuk Plant Site, where they received medical attention from on-site health personnel. After treatment, they were taken to the Basamuk Police Post for formal documentation and statements.

They were accommodated overnight with the support of a local business owner and taken to Saidor Station yesterday [Saturday] on a hired local boat.