Maclean, French connection, Ras asir and SW

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[SW Column]( Neil Maclean) Disappearance of Alan Maclean, the French Connection, Ras Asir and somaliawatch.org :Posted on [05/19/07 04:15 ]

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Disappearance of Alan Maclean, the French Connection, Ras Asir and somaliawatch.org

by Neil Maclean

macleanfamily@xtra.co.nz

We first visited Somaliawatch.org following the death of our son Alan MacLean 11 September 1999.Alan was, allegedly, killed during a Somalia piracy attack upon a French yacht "Correlation" off the Somalia coastline of Raas Assir (Caseyr). Five days afterwards, 16 September 1999, the French yacht captain, Philippe Sorel, reported the pirate attack and death of our son to the Port of Aden authorities. Sorel claimed that Alan had been shot by Somalia pirates and that he had himself disposed of Alan’s body at sea the following morning, 12 September 1999.
Port of Aden authorities conducted forensic investigation on the yacht but found no substantiating evidence to support Philippe Sorel's claim of a Somalia piracy attack, no gunfire damage and nothing stolen from the yacht; nothing to indicate that Alan had been killed onboard the yacht. Alan had just disappeared.
In the very first instance, please excuse our ignorance of that time, we were curious as to where Somalia was. Through surfing the web we found Somaliawatch.org; we have since then learned of the overwhelming tragedy of Somalia and the Somalia people. Through Somaliawatch.org, we have come to see that our own personal loss has been small indeed. We pray, for the Somalia people, that the world will unite in an endeavour to restore peace, unity and stability for Somalia and ease the immense pain of its suffering people. Incidentally we regard the yacht skipper, Philippe Sorel, as being the prime suspect in Alan's disappearance and we now await the conclusion of the French judiciary's investigation into our loss.

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