'Deplore commercial ships being targeted': India condemns attack on Thai ship bound for Gujarat port

As the widening conflict in West Asia has already killed at least two seafarers from India, New Delhi on Wednesday condemned the attack on a Thai-flagged bulk carrier, Mayuree Naree, which was on its way to Kandla Port in India, by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

India deplored the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in New Delhi, taking note of the attack on Mayuree Naree in the Straits of Hormuz when it was on its way to Kandla Port.

Two seafarers from India were killed, and another went missing, in the earlier days of the conflict, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also confirmed the death of two mariners from India in his statement to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

“Precious lives, including those of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict, and the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seem to be increasing,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in New Delhi after the attack on the Mayuree Naree in the Strait of Hormuz. Two other ships were also purportedly attacked.

New Delhi stressed that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.

“The welfare of a diaspora is of utmost priority and importance to us,” said Jaiswal, who joined the senior officials of other government departments to brief journalists on the situation in West Asia and its implications for India. “Few (other) Indians, who have suffered injuries in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, are being looked after. They are being treated, and our embassy and our consulate are in close touch with them to ensure their well-being,” said the MEA spokesperson, adding that one Indian was injured in Israel and another in Dubai.

Nearly one crore citizens of India live in the GCC countries, and their safety remains a priority for the Government of India, said Jaiswal.

Jaishankar had said on Monday that about 67,000 Indian nationals had returned to the country from different countries in the Persian Gulf region after the conflict started.