Terror In PNG Waters
Gun-toting pirates force Fijian missionary to jump from boat to the sea
AFijian Missionary recounted last night how he stared death in the face as a gun was pointed at him by pirates in seas off the Papua New Guinea coast.
Sanaila Ravia Kenivale, a missionary of the International Missionary Society Seventh Day Adventist Reform, said he and his colleagues were lucky.
He was relieved when he arrived back last night to be reunited with his wife and two children at Nadi International Airport.
Mr Kenivale of Naiyala village in Wainibuka, Tailevu and 11 PNG church members were forced at gunpoint by 10
pirates to jump overboard in the open sea. Then the pirates stole all their belongings.
The incident has left him and his church members traumatised.
It is the latest attack involving pirates in Papua New Guinea. It happened last Wednesday as they were travelling in a 24-foot fibreglass boat from East Cape to Ferguson Island in the southern tip of PNG. “We noticed that a similar boat was following us,” he said.
“Just when it got close to our boat they raised their guns and when I looked up I only saw masked men with guns and machetes being raised to our faces. “Everyone started jumping outside as the guns were pointed so I did the same. The first thing they took was the 40 horse power out board engine, benzene and all belongings.
“After they left we climbed back onto the boat and started drifting since they had taken the engine.”
Mr Kenivale said luckily the boat drifted towards the island they were going to and they managed to get ashore.