UK government under pressure to bring kidnapped Chandlers home

The UK government is under fire for their continued refusal to consider paying the ransom demanded by the captors of British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler. The couple were snatched from their yacht last year on 23 October.

The couple, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK were captured from their yacht by Somalian pirates whilst travelling between the Seychelles and Tanzania. One organisation has come forward saying that they should have the opportunity to begin negotiations in order to have the couple released. Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre is a not-for-profit organisation specifically set up to try and tackle the problem of piracy. The chairman of the group, Nick Davis, said that he had, as far back as November, set up a £100,000 deal which had the potential to begin negotiations with the pirates that may have seen the couple released. However, accordingly to the Press Association, Mr Davis says that the Foreign Office failed to return his calls and the deal was not pushed therefore nothing was negotiated and the chance to free the couple was missed. He says that the pirates would soon lose patience. Mr Davis said, "The door is open for them to be released. Somebody needs to pick up the gauntlet and run with it. We are the people who know what needs to be done, we can do it, we just need to be allowed to do it." He also said, "People are forgetting the key issue. Paul and Rachel have not got a clue what's going on. They are sat there in a hell hole wondering why people aren't helping them. For the amounts involved I don't think it's worth trying to bring anyone to justice. We just need to get Paul and Rachel home." He also said that he didn't think the pirates would actually harm the couple but would eventually abandon the couple leaving them at the mercy of terrorists. A spokesman for Downing Street said, "The Prime Minister's view is that hostage taking is never justified and we would like to repeat the Government's call that Paul and Rachel Chandler should be released immediately and unconditionally. We are doing everything we can to secure their release." The Government has always refused to negotiate payment for the release of hostages. A doctor was allowed to exam the Chandlers and from the video it's clear that the couple are suffering, Mrs Chandler more than her husband. Sky News reports that today the couple were allowed to meet for a short time with another possible meeting scheduled for later in the day. Their correspondent, Ashish Joshi said, "The pirates have let Rachel meet Paul for a short time at the insistence of the doctor who examined them. The doctor warned the pirates that a prolonged separation would damage Rachel's health even more. The pirates relented and will allow the couple to meet again later today, but insist they will not be held together." David Miliband, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, told Sky News, "Obviously there's a very high level of concern. Anyone watching that video will have seen why that is the case. We're using all of the networks we have in that part of the world, political and diplomatic, and we've been very clear with the Chandlers here about how we're doing that. Obviously none of us are going to be satisfied until the Chandlers are safely home and that's why we're working very hard on this case."