Kidnapped Chandlers plea for help: 'They will kill us in a week or so'

4:56 AM Sat 21 Nov 2009 GMT

'Chandlers under guard during interview with Channel 4' .

While Somali pirates, with calm seas prevailing in the North West Indian Ocean are on the bloodiest rampage of all, with one captain dead from his wounds, record ransoms and shoot-outs almost daily, cruising sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler, hostages since the 22nd October, have made a direct plea for help.

The plea was captured in a video obtained by Britain's Channel 4 News, warning UK authorities they fear the Somali pirates who kidnapped them may kill them.

The two British cruising sailors were taken captive by pirates as they sailed their yacht, the Lynn Rival, in the Indian Ocean after they left the Seychelles bound for Tanzania against the advice of local authorities and fellow cruising sailors.

The words captured on the video conflict with earlier reports that the couple had started to refuse food and water and Rachel Chandler was very ill. Mr Chandler says:'This is our 27th day in captivity. So far we have been provided with adequate food and water and facilities, and so we are unharmed and in reasonable physical health.

'Mentally we under great stress and threatened. Our kidnappers are losing patience. They are concerned that their has been no response at all to their demands for money.

'We ask the government and the people of Britain, and our families, to do whatever you can to at least open negotiations with these people about money, so perhaps our lives can be brought back.

'We have been threatened that there is a terrorist gang at large in the country looking for us. We are also concerned that these people will lose patience and will not feed us.

'And I have no doubt that they will not hesitiate to kill us in a week or so from now if there is no response. So, please somebody get in touch otherwise we are just sleep-walking to a tragic ending.'

Rachel Chandler then said: 'We are under threat and we are told that we will not be fed and given water so we are very concerned about the future.

'Our captors are very impatient now that nobody has been in touch to enter into negotiations. So we ask the government and the people of Britain and our family to do whatever they can to enter into negotiations with these people to buy back our lives.

'As Paul has said we are told that there is a terrorist cell or a fanatic cell searching for us and we are also feeling very much under threat now that these people themselves won't hesitate to take our lives.'

The Channel 4 News camera crew then asked the Chandlers if they were happy to be filmed and the couple said yes.

The Foreign Office released a statement on the video saying: 'We are aware of the video. Any such video will be distressing for the family.

'The UK Government's policy is clear: We do not make substantive concessions to hostage takers, including the payment of ransoms.

'These are innocent tourists. We seek the immediate release of Paul and Rachel.'

The pirates have previously demanded a $7m (?4.2m) ransom, but, if earlier incidents are any indication, will, after negotiation, accept much less.

However, Britain's policy is not to be seen to be negotiating, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has previously urged the pirates to release the couple, describing hostage-taking as 'unacceptable'.

by Sail-World Cruising Round-up