Big welcome awaits freed hostages on arrival in India

More than half a million dollars in ransom, the diplomatic efforts of astute negotiators and a bald faced lie is what finally got the seven Kuwait Gulf Link truckers released and safely in the hands of their governments.

Last night, the three Indian hostages who were freed in Iraq after a six-week ordeal were preparing to return to India to a huge welcome.

Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and other dignitaries will meet the freed hostages when they step off their Kuwait Airways flight at New Delhi airport at dawn, the official said.

The truckers freed on Wednesday after 42 days in captivity were flown in a specially chartered plane from Baghdad to Kuwait International Airport. They were received with relief by their embassy representatives and whisked away before they could talk to reporters on the ground.

The three Indians Tilak Raj, Sukhdev Singh and Antaryami Bains were quickly taken away by their embassies.

A press conference was held later at the Indian Embassy premises where reporters were handed out a terse written statement by Indian Embassy officials which said: "We are happy to be free. We are thankful to our employers KGL for their efforts to bring us back. We are grateful to our own government and to the government of Kuwait for their sincere efforts to ensure our safety and safe return.

"Those who were holding us treated us well and gave us food and water and a place to stay. We are thankful to them for the good treatment given to us.
"We would like to convey to our families back home that we are well and in good health. We missed you all and we hope to be united with you soon."

In a very short question and answer session Tilak Raj admitted "We were very scared but we were never beaten". Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Swashpawan Singh, aid, "the men would really like to go home to be with their families. They have been in touch with their parents, wives and children. They will not go back to work until they have been with their families."

Officials were already preparing for the departure of the three and confirmed that the men would be leaving overnight to arrive in Delhi early this morning.

Singh would not divulge if the Indian government had paid any money to the kidnappers and simply said that the details of the case was the responsibility of the Crisis Management Group in New Delhi.

Speaking of the kidnappers, Saeed Dashti the CEO of KGL told reporters at the airport: "They weren't trying to make a political statement. They were purely extortionists. We paid more than half a million dollars. They wanted between six and seven million. We did not cease our operations in Iraq, this is what they wanted to hear."

"We will continue to send our trucks and drivers to Iraq but we will not force any one to drive for us. Our vehicles are at the disposal of the US forces and they can do whatever they want ," he added.

– Nirmala Jannsen is a writer based in Kuwait