NRI fisherman, who was misled from Dubai to Yemen, escapes and lives to tell the tale

News Network
December 2, 2019

Kochi, Dec 2: For 44-year-old Nissar hailing from Kollam, the sea was a passion, but after enduring untold miseries during the nine-day escape voyage of 3,000 miles on a fishing boat along with eight others, he has vowed that he will not go into the sea again.

Speaking to news agencies, Nissar who was cleared by the immigration officials in Kochi, said that he has is putting an end to his way of life as a fisherman.

"It was a journey that began almost 10 days ago from Yemen and never even in my wildest dreams did I felt that I would be able to reach here, but I did and I have decided, to never again go fishing, which has been my profession so far," said Nissar.

In December last year he reached Dubai, where he met people, who offered him the job of a fisherman in Oman.

"After sailing for a few days, we were told that we have reached our destination and it was after two days, we realised that we were in Yemen and not Oman. From then our travails began and it was a nightmare," Nissar recounts.

"We did our job catching fish on boats travelling into the sea. But our boss never paid us on time and several times we had verbal duels with him. Finally, we decided we won't continue working for him. We never had money and had to go without food for days together. Then, we reported the matter to the police and our employer agreed to pay us, and we went back to work." Nissar added.

This did not change anything, Nissar says, and that his employer once again stopped paying them their salaries. Finally, nine people, employed as fishermen, gathered the courage to undertake what could be a dangerous journey.

"We knew we had to save enough fuel and that we saved up every time we went fishing for our boss and finally when we knew we had saved 4,000 litres of fuel, and also a stock of ration that we could get our hands on. We left the shores of Yemen. When we started, none of us ever thought we would make it,” Nissar says.

The fishermen travelled night and day in the rough and windy seas, scared for their lives. With only one meal per day, they were rationing the food supplies they had. Two days ago, the Coast Guard near the Malabar coast spotted Nissar and the other fishermen “From that moment till this time, we were treated with lot of compassion by all and now we have been released and we are all going our own way. I do not have the mental courage to again undergo the suffering in the seas and hence, I will no longer do this job," said Nissar.

Nissar and his team arrived in Kochi on Friday on the fishing boat named Al-Thiraya 3, belonging to his Yemenese employer and all of them have been cleared and have joined with their relatives, who came to receive them.

Speaking to news agencies, Circle Inspector of Police attached to the Coastal Police in Kochi, Chrispin Sam said that seven of them hail from Tamil Nadu, while two are from Kollam in Kerala.

"Their papers are in order and the emigration process is over and all of them have been released," said Sam.

"A few fishermen from Tamil Nadu informed their relatives about their journey and these relatives got in touch with the Coast Guard and other departments. Since we got the information about their travel, the sea patrol teams were also alerted and thus the boat was spotted," said Sam.

"As soon as they were spotted, the Coast Guard officials got into the boat and brought them to our station. Various departments have cleared them as all of them have valid papers on them," added Sam.

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News Network
April 20,2024

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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being pushed towards a “slow death” inside Tihar jail by denying him insulin and consultations with his doctor.

Kejriwal, who has Type-2 diabetes, has been asking for insulin and a video conferencing with his family doctor but his requests are being denied by the jail administration, party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a press conference.

"I want to say with full responsibility that a conspiracy is underway for the slow death of Kejriwal," Bharadwaj claimed citing blood sugar readings of the Chief Minister in jail.

He also slammed the Tihar administration, BJP, Centre and Delhi LG for allegedly denying insulin to Kejriwal and said the Delhi Chief Minister had been suffering from diabetes for the last 20-22 years.

On Friday, the chief minister council Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said Kejriwal has not been administered insulin to control his sugar levels since his arrest, terming it “shocking” and “alarming”.

The ED had on Thursday claimed before the court that Kejriwal was eating food high in sugar like mangoes and sweets every day, despite having Type-2 diabetes, to create grounds for medical bail.

Kejriwal, however, refuted the ED’s claims by asserting before a court that the food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor.

“Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there…,” Singhvi told the court.

Bharadwaj said Kejriwal was allowed by the court to use a machine in the jail to monitor his daily blood sugar levels.

"Overall, it was a conspiracy to finish Kejriwal so his multiple organ damage and when he comes out of jail after 2-4 months he goes for treatment of kidney, heart and other organs," said Bharadwaj, who holds the portfolio of health in Delhi government.

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coastaldigest.com news network
April 10,2024

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Mangaluru, Apr 10: Hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the coastal city of Mangaluru and other parts of coastal Karnataka today observed Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of 29-day-long blessed month of Ramadan. 

The occasion falls on the first day of the 10th lunar calendar month of Shawwal, the start of which varies based on the sighting of the new moon.

Braving the scorching sun, Muslim men and children - and in some parts women too - thronged Eidgahs and mosques to express gratitude to their Creator by offering Eid prayers after distributing Zakat and Fitr among the poor and needy.

While praying for the acceptance of their month-long fasting and charity among other deeds, the imams also prayed for the acceptance of sacrifices of people of Gaza wherein Israel regime’s bloody war claimed thousands of lives including children and women in past six months.

Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar, the Qadhi of Mangaluru, led the Eid prayers and delivered the sermon at the historic Eidgah mosque at Lighthouse Hill. “We have fasted for a month to comply with the command of the Almighty. Let us also lead a pious life in the remaining 11 months of the year,” he said.

He exchanged Eid greetings with the devotees and called upon them to remember the lesser privileged people and needy during the festivities. “We have a social responsibility towards the poor and needy. As long as we attend to their problems, God's blessings will continue to shower upon us,” he said.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader and several people’s representatives offered prayers at Eidgah mosque. Volunteers from Zeeanth Bhaksh masjid helped the police in maintaining traffic and discipline.

Children dressed in festival attire added colour to the celebrations. People wished Eid Mubarak and hugged each other.

The Eid prayers were held in all prominent mosques across the city. Taqwa Masjid in Pumpwell, Masjidunnoor in Hampankatta, Ihasan Masjid near Unity Hospital, Bolar Islamic Centre in Bolar, Ibrahim Khaleel Masjid near State Bank, Jamia Masjid in Kudroli and Kachi Memon Masjid in Bunder were overcrowded with devotees. Several thousand devotees offered prayers at Central Juma Masjid in Ullal on the outskirts of the city.

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News Network
April 13,2024

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Mangaluru: After as the state health ministry issued guidelines to the public in view of a heatwave, the health department in Dakshina Kannada has advised people to be cautious about the impact of heatstroke, including heat rash, heat edema, heat cramps, heat tetany, heat syncope, and heat exhaustion.

Dakshina Kannada district nodal officer for climate change, Dr Naveenchandra Kulal, said that the impact of heat-related illness can also be found in the district, when there is a variation of about 4.5⁰C from the normal temperature.

Dr Kulal told media persons here on Friday, that the impact of heat-related illness is not confined to Raichur, Kalaburagi, and other North Karnataka districts.

“Those who reside inside tin sheet houses and closed environments are likely to suffer from heatstroke. People should hydrate themselves by drinking more water and avoid working under the direct Sun. Heat exhaust fans can be used. Though no heatstroke cases have been reported in the district, any negligence may cause heatstroke,” he said. 

DHO Dr Thimmaiah HR said that hotels and restaurants should supply boiled water, and they should clean the overhead tanks once every three months. The filter of drinking water units should be cleaned frequently, he said.

He also directed paying guest accommodations to supply fresh food to inmates.

“We have received complaints of many paying guest accommodations serving sambar cooked the previous day to inmates. Stale food should be avoided, as there are chances of food contamination. Plastics should be avoided while packing food in hotels. As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines, the use of plastic to pack hot food is restricted,” the DHO said.

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