Dhaka, March 13 -- Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud says the government has been unable to establish contact with the pirates who hijacked the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah in the Indian Ocean, taking 23 sailors on board hostage.

But they are still 'working' to rescue them, he said.

"We are trying through a second party and have informed those necessary."

The minister's comments came after a seminar at Dhaka University on Wednesday afternoon.

"We have reported the incident to the [IMB Piracy Reporting Centre] in Kuala Lumpur, the [Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region] in New Delhi, and all aerial naval ships, including those of Singapore, USA, UK, and China. We are trying other methods to communicate with them as well."

"The d...