PM calls on pirates to release British hostages (October 29, 2009)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the UK will be using all the mechanisms at their disposal to try to ensure the safe return of Paul and Rachel Chandler.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) have confirmed that during counter-piracy operations overnight on 28-29 October a Royal Navy ship encountered the yacht owned by British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler.
It was found in international waters.
Paul and Rachel Chandler were not on board the yacht and we do not have any reason to believe they have been harmed.
At a press conference at the EU summit, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:
'Piracy and the taking of hostages is unacceptable in any circumstances. We call on those people who have taken the British citizens hostage to release them as soon as possible.'
Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, also said:
'We condemn in the strongest terms these acts of piracy. There is a British led EU naval mission in the Gulf of Aden which is there to reduce levels of piracy both of commercial vessels and of private citizens on this kind of small yacht.
We will be using all the mechanisms at our disposal to try to ensure that there is the safe return of these two British hostages.'
Foreign Office officials remain in close touch with their family in the UK.
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