Somalia Piracy: Documentary Film - Man Without a Nation
Somalia Piracy: Documentary Film - Man Without a Nation
The film “Man Without a Nation” presents the background of the real story that has made headlines in India and elsewhere. Born and orphaned in Myanmar and raised in Thailand, Aung Soe became a fisherman. Prantalay-12, the Thai trawler he worked on, was captured by Somalian pirates in 2010 and he was held captive for eight months. Using the trawler as the mother ship, the buccaneers made other attacks. As they went about their depredations, Aung Soe and the other captives were forced to serve them.
His ordeal ended when the pirates entered the Indian waters. Noticing a ship of the Indian Navy, he jumped into the sea and succeeded in catching the eyes of the men in uniform. Without documents to establish his identity, Thailand and Burma is helpless in accepting him.
V. Manoj Joy, national co-ordinator of Sailors Helpline and editor of Waves seafarers magazine, learnt about Aung Soe from a report on Asianet television. Moved by the story, he pondered how the ‘homeless’ man could be helped. He joined with his friends, K. Sree Kumar, assistant secretary of Madras Port Trust Employees’ Union and inspector of ITF, and Prasanth Kanathur, a journalist from Mathrubhumi and a documentary film-maker, and produced the documentary film. Sr. Apinya Tajit of Apostleship of the Sea, Thailand also assisted the team.